Expect the Unexpected
by DanyElliott
Summary: Regina Mills is a 35 year old woman who owns a restaurant with her partner, Robin Locksley. Emma Swan is a 21 year old girl looking for a job to pay for her college classes. Regina seems nothing but professional with Emma, but will that change over time and unexpected circumstances? How will Emma break down her walls? Slow-burn SwanQueen. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, guys, so this will be a fanfiction written from Emma's point of view and it's gonna be very AU. Keep in mind that English is my second language and there are gonna be some mistakes, I own them all. This is my first attempt at writing anything between Emma and Regina and I can't promise anything exciting happening in the first couple of chapters, but stay tuned! SwanQueen to the end, just not all the way from the beginning :')

I am very nervous. My hands are shaking as I set up the phone in front of me, checking the front camera and trying to figure out which angle I look decent from. I turn around the table a couple times, until I'm satisfied with the angle of light that is upon my face, slightly hiding dark eye bags caused by four hours a sleep for the past week. It's been a very long time since I've had a long, nice sleep, and I can't wait to start working in Storybrooke. I haven't been here in years and, even though this is where I was born, I can't help but fear growing up this fast. It is a waitressing job, and even though I've done it before, this is the first time I am taking a job serious, throughout the whole year, to pay for my studies.

I am having an interview for a job, I remind myself. Damn, I'm having a Skype interview and I am very bad at first impressions, especially when it comes to things like this. Either way, I wait for 12:00 to appear on my phone, and I press the call button on a memorized number under the name of "New Boss". And it rings.

We exchanged messages, but never talked. Here comes nothing.

"Hello, dear!" A female voice calls out, and the next second her face is clear on the phone. Holy shit! She's drop dead gorgeous. Her long, brown hair is falling down to half her back for sure, and she has the most amazing, full lips I've ever laid my eyes on. Hold your shit together, Swan.

"Um, hi!" I reply awkwardly. I am not prepared for this. What do I even say now?

"So you're calling about the waitress position that just opened up, am I right?" She makes it easier for me, and I am grateful for that.

I nod my head and smile. "Yeah. A friend told me about your place and said I'd fit in well."

"Okay, so what do you know about our restaurant?" She asks, and I am trying to concentrate on what I've seen on their Instagram, rather than scanning the older woman over the phone who is wearing a white, thin blouse that is very see through and makes it incredibly easy to notice a black bra underneath.

"Um, it's healthy food." I kick myself mentally for what I have just said and squeeze my eyes shut just for a second to shut out the picture of the gorgeous woman on my screen and try to remember what I've looked through just a couple minutes before the call. "It's mostly salads and a couple usual meals, like pasta and sandwiches, but healthy things. You have a lot of vegan and vegetarian options." I manage to say, overexcitedly, as I remember their description on Instagram.

"Yes, that sounds about right." She smiles and I can feel my jaw weakening and wanting to drop down to the floor at the sight of the most beautiful smile I've ever seen, but I don't let it. Damn those gorgeous, white teeth and full lips, I won't let you ruin this job for me. "And tell me a bit about your previous work experiences." She's saying with a soft smile, looking at me expectantly.

I wiggle in my chair for a second before I answer. "So I worked in a couple places as a waitress, but only for the summers. I also did three months in a five star hotel as a receptionist, but that, turns out, is not a job for me." And now I'm chuckling for no reason. Why, Swan, why?

"And why is that?" She asks, obviously intrigued with my statement, asking to elaborate. Why do I have such big mouth? I'll get myself fired before I get the job, for fuck's sake.

I play with my hands under the table for a couple seconds, and decide that the truth might not be such a bad answer after all. "Well, I like working with people and being able to have some comfort while doing so. Five star places are so uptight and I prefer being able to connect with my guests more comfortably, making jokes and sh-" Was I gonna say 'shit'? Good job. Great job. "Stuff." I correct myself , but not soon enough because I can see her eyebrows raise up in surprise.

"Understandable." She replies and I can't really tell what she's thinking because there is a twitch in the corner of her lips, almost as if she wants to smile, but I can't really be sure. "I appreciate your honesty, Miss Swan." That is the first time she used my name, well, my surname, and I can't help my heart beating a little too fast at the mention. 'Miss Swan' sounds official, but it's my name and it just rolled from that tongue of hers in a way I can't deny has me overly excited. What the hell is wrong with me? I have a boyfriend, I don't do women. I mean, they're pretty, but this one is just… Ugh! "We are like a small family here, and honesty is one of the things we appreciate the most. We need good, hard, workers and most of our guests here are regulars, so, in fact, you will be able to make jokes and, stuff" she makes a small pause, giving me a knowing look. "as long as they are appropriate." And she's smiling again. If I wasn't sitting already, I'm sure my weak ass knees would betray me right away and drop me down to the floor.

"Okay, good. Great." I reply, and that is all I manage to mutter before she speaks again.

"Alright. Well, Miss Swan, I have some very important business to attend to, but I like you." I think I just stopped breathing. I know she doesn't mean it any other way except business and I am not sure why she means it in any way considering how this interview went, but I am grateful. "I am going to give you a chance, and you're not going to make me regret it." I nod my head with a smile bigger than I thought my thin lips were capable of spreading in. "You said over the messages that you would be able to start working right away, am I right?"

"Yup." And again, very professional.

"Well, how about you come tomorrow to have the training? First couple of days will be training, so we don't pay you for those. And you'd also do one shift in the bar, to learn how to function there, if needed to jump in as all our waiters are well familiar with bar duties." If her eyes are piercing through me like this on the phone, what the hell are they gonna do to me in person? Shit.

"Sounds good. So I should come what time?" I am so eager to start working now that I'd go there running this moment. But tomorrow will do fine as well, I guess.

"7 a.m. Restaurant opens at 8, but there are some preparations to be made as well. August is first shift tomorrow, he's the waiter that's been here the longest, so he'll walk you through everything." I can feel my head nodding and for who knows which time today, I don't say a word, just stare into the goddess in front of me. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Miss Swan." I am groaning internally at the mention of my name again, but I manage to utter a weak "Okay, see you" before she ends the call.

I feel it already. This woman is gonna be the death of me.


	2. Chapter 2

Shit! I missed my alarm and it's already 6:30! Wonder I even woke up now, considering the fact that I usually wake up around noon. I get up out of my bed, rub my eyes furiously before I can even see clearly and,it's fine, I can make it in this much time. I already ironed my shirt last night in case this happened, as it often does and I am late to almost anything.

I walk through the room I rented for a night, and also the one I won't be able to afford much longer. I need to find a roommate, I make a mental note, as I move to the toilet and brush my teeth as fast as I can. I am hurting my teeth, a lot, but it doesn't matter, as I spit the toothpaste and move to washing my face right away.

Should I put some makeup? I still have eye bags, though not as scary as the past few days because last night I finally slept eight hours! Whoo! Exciting. It's been a long time since I slept that long and it should feel great, but I only feel like I should keep sleeping for the rest of my life.

Either way, I find the first jeans from the pile of clothes in my suitcase and pull them on, satisfied with how I look in a full length mirror. I put on a white, plain T-shirt over my head and grab my phone and earphones from the table before putting on converse sneakers and heading out of the room.

The music is loud in my ears and gives me a bit of energy, even though I feel completely drained. I can see the restaurant name from far away, and I am wondering why a small restaurant like this, and even weirder, a healthy place, would be called "Regal". It sounds powerful, so I just assume it's my boss's choice, based on the energy that's all around her. She does look very regal indeed, especially since I can make out her body shape coming out of a black Mercedes in a tight, black dress, reaching down to her knees. Her legs are perfectly shaped and look even better than in my dreams.. She's turning around and, holy crap, I can feel my cheeks burning as her eyes lock on me.

I throw a quick glance at my phone and I am suddenly really proud of myself because it's 6:54a.m. and I am early for my first day of work. Nonetheless, I speed up a bit, seeing that my boss is not moving, but rather looks like she's waiting on me.

„Miss Swan, it's a pleasure. If you were late, I'd fire you before you started working here." Her voice is giving me chills, and she's saying all this in a serious tone, but her full lips are revealing a small smile. Hey eyes are a deep shade of brown, and I find myself pulled in the pool of their perfection. Who'd say that the queen of my heart would have such a warm, yet strict voice? It is nothing like through the phone, though no one's voice is. But up close, she looks much younger and, for who knows which time, I think about marrying the person in front of me.

„Good morning. Pleasure to meet you too..." What the hell is her name again? Crap.

„My name is Regina Mills, dear. I do hope you have a better memory for food than you have for names." I can literally hear her eyes rolling and I want to kill myself right here and now.

„Yeah, it is. I'm sorry, but..."

„No need to be sorry. You came here to work, so shall we?" Her face is emotionless and the next thing I hear is clicking of her heels on the hard concrete. Along with her back, though, comes her ass as well, and I follow her steps, just a bit behind, stealing a couple glances on the perfect backside.

If someone had told me a person could hold this much power over me, I'd say they were big, fat liars. But meeting this woman makes me question every single thing about me.

Get your shit together, Swan! What the hell are you even thinking? She's way out of your league and she must have someone already. She's quite perfect, and if there isn't a thousand men standing in a line to get her, then... Shit. Of course she has someone.

As on cue, a tall, blond man comes out of the booth and sneaks his hand around Regina's waist. He's handsome and her lips spread in the biggest smile I've seen on her, so I guess she's happy. It's not a surprise, really, but it is a bit disappointing to confirm she's seeing someone.

I look away as their lips connect in a chaste kiss. It's embarrasing to see and I just want to disappear.

„Miss Swan, this is Robin Locksley. We co-own the restaurant." I glance their way and he's offering me a hand. A hand I'd love to crush, but choose to squeeze just a bit stronger than needed, while flashing a fake smile his way.

„Strong handshake. My pleasure." He's smilling and damn, if I didn't choose to hate him just a couple seconds ago, I'd probably love him. His accent is a dream of every girl and piercing blue eyes just make it impossible to look away, but my eyes rather roam to find deep, brown ones that are already watching me. I smile a bit, to Regina, and look back to Robin.

„Emma Swan. Pleasure is all mine." There's an awkward silence for a couple seconds, before it's interupted by a handsome, young man whose name tag is hanging on his chest. August. He seems nice enough.

„You must be Emma!" And one more hand is being offered my way and I can't help but wonder if the whole day would be just shaking hands.

„And you're gonna be showing me around, August?" I flash a smile his way. He seems nice, handsome. If I didn't have my eyes on a certain brunette, I would most definitely be flirting with him right now.

„I see you already know my name." He lets his hand linger in mine a second longer, then pulls away to push them into pockets.

„I can read, you know."

„Good to know you can, actually, memorize a name, Miss Swan." Regina is giving me a glare, and before I have a chance to say anything, she's taking Robin's hand and turning around. I feel my heart sinking inside my chest because she's leaving, but I can't let it show, so I just turn to my new friend.

„What's her deal?"

„There's a reason they call her The Evil Queen, you know." He's laughing and motioning for me to follow him into the bar.

„She doesn't seem evil. Maybe a bit cold and bossy, but not evil."

„You should see her fire people around here. More people were fired out of here than there are in all of Storybrooke. I don't even know how she manages." He laughs, but I can feel myself freaking out at this notion. He seems to notice, and is quick to reassure. „Don't worry, she seems to like you."

„She has a funny way of showing it." I rub the back of my head, wondering if he's just trying to make me feel better now. Probably.

„Yeah... She likes you more than she liked me on my first day. I was late a minute." He laughs and I can already imagine how working here is going to be. I'm gonna turn my alarm on every morning at 4 o'clock, just to be sure. „Don't worry. Just don't step on her toes and you're good." He says it like it's easy, but by the look on his face, I can tell that this will be a hard job.

We spend the rest of the shift working together. For the first hour, he tries to explain how to make foam for coffees with milk, but I seem to be really bad at it. He says he was horrible at it too, but it's hard to imagine when every foam he makes feels like clouds on my tongue.

The next seven hours pass in me being his assistant. He won't let me take over new tables because I don't know all from the menu and he points out, a couple times through the shift, that I have to learn the menu in the next two days.

Just when the clock ticks 3p.m. and I feel like I am finally free, heels click on the tiles of the restaurant. Somehow, I can recognize Regina's footsteps already, probably because she made a hell of a first impression.

„How was your first day here, Miss Swan?" Her lips are painted deep red now and I notice she's changed since the last time we saw each other.

„Perfect." I blurt out, my eyes glued to the scar on her upper lip. „Yeah, perfect." I repeat, trying to tear my eyes from her lips. Now I'm looking her in the eyes and I can swear there's amusement lingering behind them. She caught me staring.

„I'm sure August taught you how to make coffee foam?"

„Well, he did try..." And he truly did, I am just the worst student. „But I learn quickly. I'm sure I'll be good with it in a couple of days." Her eyes are glued on mine and her eyebrow quirks up. I am not sure what that means, but I am praying she won't fire me because of foam. It's my first day, after all. In fact, I am not even working here officially, so the Queen can't fire me if I am not an employee.

„I want you here tomorrow at 6a.m." I am sure my face is hillarious as I feel my eyes widen slightly. I know that's not what she means, but hearing 'I want you here' kinda kicks out the job part from my head for a second.

„Oh, okay. Why, though?" My voice is smaller than usually and I feel like I am powerless in front of this woman.

„I'm going to teach you how to make coffee." And with that, she's gone.


	3. Chapter 3

**I know it's not the foam chapter you all were hoping for, but here's a bit of info about Emma's life outside the SwanQueen story. I love you guys and this is absolutely amazing how you respond, I've never had this since this is the first longer fic I am trying to write. Hit me up with requests and comments in private messages as I have the story worked out in my head, but I could also give in to some of your requests along the story! Happy read! *Next chapter is foam making, I promise***

Granny's still stands in the same place where it stood when I left this town. I was young, maybe 5 years old, when my parents decided that they wanted to move to a bigger city, but my heart always stayed in this place. That is one of the many reasons I decided to come back here after high school. But I did have one more reason to come back here.

"Emma Fucking Swan!" I don't even get two steps over the door of Granny's before I am pulled into the warmest hug.

"Ruby Freakin' Lucas!" I hug back because, this girl right here, she's been my best friend since I can remember.

"You little shit! What are you doing here? How long are you staying?" She's pulling away just enough to see my face, but keeping her hands on my shoulders.

"I started working here. Today. So I hope for a very long time." My cheeks hurt from smiling so wide. "I missed you so damn much!" And I'm pulling her into another hug because, hell, I love this girl and I haven't seen her in three months.

"Jesus! I can't believe this! Why didn't you tell me?" Once again, she's the one to pull away and even though I can tell she wants to be angry with me for not letting her know I would come, I can see that she can barely not smile at the fact that we're finally back together.

"Well, I wasn't sure I was gonna come until a couple days ago. When I was told to come for this job, I thought it would be good to surprise you!"

"You could have told me sooner! I'm sure Granny would be more than happy to have you working here, though!" She's wrapping her hand around mine and pulling me towards the counter. Her steps are longer than mine and she's wearing long boots, tight pants that make her killer ass even better and a tight, black shirt. Some things never change. She was always the hot one, and I was the weird one. Once she practically pushes me into the high chair, I'm able to speak again.

"Yeah, but I didn't want to be a burden. I wanted to start my own life here, not to rely on anyone. You know how Mary Margaret has always been, giving me everything on a silver platter. I wanted something of my own." I'm smiling slightly, thinking of my parents who I'll miss as hell here. "But yeah, there's more news. She's pregnant three months."

"Really?" Shock is written all over Ruby's place and I can't help but laugh loudly.

"What, Rubes?"

"Well... You're gonna have a little sister or a brother who's gonna be 18 years younger! But it's cool, you're going to be a good big sister. Teach them how to get into cars and closed libraries as we did. And I can be their aunt Ruby! I'm so happy for you!" And the third hug comes my way, before I hear a well known voice yelling.

"Ruby! You have customers waiting!" The voice is followed by a short, gray haired woman coming behind the counter. "Emma!"

"Granny!" I say, a little bit louder than intended, while getting off the chair and walking around the counter to give a hug to the woman who's always been like a grandmother to me. Always feeding me and making sure I was safe.

"Hey, kiddo. We missed you around here." She says as she gives me possibly the strongest hug of my life. Wow, this woman is insanely strong for someone so small. "Look at you, all grown up!" For a moment there, I appreciate the moment as she stares into my eyes, both her hands on my cheeks, looking at me as if I was her own child. But then comes the affectionate, light slap on my cheek twice, as she moves away and smiles lightly. "Have a seat, let's get you something to eat."

"I'm sorry if I'm interrupting a reunion or something of sorts, but I need to get going and I would like my usual." The voice makes me turn around abruptly, as if I am caught doing something I shouldn't. I feel my cheeks burning and I can say for sure that they've turned at least a light pink. "Miss Swan."

"Reg- Miss Mills. I didn't think I'd see you here." She's having a seat at the chair I was at just a couple moments ago, crossing her legs and revealing a bit of skin just above her knees. Sheesh, for sure, the Death of me.

"Well, even though this is my competition, my dear, I do have respect for the best lasagna in town. We don't have such a thing on the menu, and I have a family lunch coming up that I didn't have time to cook for, if you must know." Her eyes are piercing through mine and I really don't know what to say next. Thankfully, she makes it easier for me. "You seem to know some people from around here. How come?"

"Well, my best friend Ruby works here. I moved when I was little, but I kept coming here for winter and summer breaks and she came to visit me sometimes as well, so we stayed in touch. Thought it would be nice to say hello." I play with the edge of my shirt awkwardly as I finish. I am not like this. Usually I am the person everyone tells to shut up because I never stop speaking, but, for some reason, I can't find any words now.

"So I may know your parents then." Bless this woman for not being as awkward as I am! Though she would be awkward as well if she was crushing as hard as I am at the person in front of me.

"Yeah. Mary Margaret and David Nolan." I say proudly. My face is beaming, but drops when I see Regina frown.

"The teacher and the sheriff?" She shifts in her seat and looks less invested in the conversation immediately. Did they get in a fight or something?

"Yeah. So you know them."

"I do." I am dying to know what happened between the three, but I'm out of luck as Granny is out with the paper box for Regina and it seems that the conversation is over. "Swan, though, not Nolan. Why?"

The question hits me hard and though I've made peace with the fact that I'm adopted, somehow it feels like a personal matter that I should not share with just anyone. Not that Regina's anyone. But Swan has always been a wall for me, using the name so if I ever got hurt, it should be a reminder that it was to be expected. Nolan's have always been nothing but perfect to me, but ever since I found out I was adopted, I couldn't shake of the fear of being abandoned, not being good enough. So Swan it was. A defense mechanism.

Not knowing what to say, I just shrug my shoulders. "Long story."

I can feel her stare upon me, but I'm not looking at her anymore. She must know what that name means and I don't want to see pity or anything of sorts. I've had too many people try to assure me all's gonna be alright and I don't have to worry anymore or simply tell me I am good on my own, though I'm not sure how they thought those words would help.

"Another time, then. See you tomorrow at work." And with that she's gone, now familiar clicking of heals fading away with her figure.

"You're working for the Evil Queen?" I jump a bit at Ruby's voice that came out of nowhere and cross my hands against my chest.

"Why do you call that?"

"She's the biggest bitch in this town, that's why." By the look on her face, there was a lot more to tell about this woman.

"And…?" I encourage her to continue.

It works, because Ruby's head is now inches away from mine and she starts talking so low I have a feeling this is a secret that could kill me. "Allegedly, she comes from an old royal family. Her boyfriend, Robin, he's this insanely rich thief who got all his money from stealing watches and jewelry, but was never caught. They opened this place together because he needed a cover, a place from "where his money came", but she took the restaurant seriously and now it's the second best in town, after Granny's, of course. Your work there is gonna be a living hell, so when you decide to ditch the Evil Queen, you can come here and we'll work something out, babe. But trust me, you're not gonna last long with her."

It is a lot. But it also explains a lot. Regina is royalty and her composure and the way she dresses and speaks and walks make a lot of sense now. But Robin? Really? He just seems like a nice, handsome guy who beat me to Regina. So yeah, now I have two reasons to not like him – Regina and thievery.

"Damn, Rubes, how do you know all this?"

"People talk, Emma. And I work with people for stories and tips. Talking about tips, I gotta go to that table." She winks at me and is gone in a second, leaving me to process all the new information she just threw at me.

"This one is on the house." A plate is set in front of me and it smells delicious.

"Thank you, Granny." I realize I've had nothing but coffee since this morning the moment the fork is in my hands and I dig into the lasagna that I can just assume is the same as my Queen just took minutes ago.


	4. Chapter 4

**So here it is, the chapter you were all waiting for! I hope the wait was worth it!**

_Rrrriiiiiiiiiing!_

I am wide awake suddenly and my heart is beating hard inside my chest. The sight before my eyes goes blank because I got up too fast and my head is spinning as I successfully turn off my alarm, blindly swiping on the screen. Once my eyes are able to see colors again, I check my phone and see that I woke up an hour before my work. I think about going back to bed, as I'd usually do, but I don't think I'd be able to fall asleep after waking up this harsh, so I decide to expand my morning routine.

I am under the shower in no time and it takes me only twenty minutes to take a shower, brush my teeth and put on clothes and subtle makeup. The next thing I do is make fast breakfast – nothing better than milk and cereal, right? The only thing I feel sorry for not having this morning is a coffee machine. And my mind wonders off to a certain brunette with deep, brown eyes and skin made of gold. I'd have my coffee with her this morning. She promised to teach me how to make foam and, even though I am not the biggest fan of coffee with milk, I'd drink ten lattes this instant if that meant ten minutes spent with Regina.

The rest of my morning routine flies away and I am in front of the café ten minutes before my shift and, look at that, the door is unlocked. There is no black Mercedes as I expected outside, but as I walk inside the little restaurant, Regina's figure is clear behind the counter.

"Miss Swan, you're early. Breaking my little morning routine." Her voice is a bit hoarse, sounds like she woke up a couple minutes ago and these are the first words leaving her lips today.

"I can just sit while you drink your coffee, if you want." And I truly mean it. I wouldn't mind having a seat and a gorgeous view on my boss sipping her morning coffee. Black, I notice. No milk. She probably drinks it with no sugar, or with that natural sugar – stevia, was it? She also looks like a person who exercises at least five times a week, eats salads and doesn't cheat on her diet even for the most delicious piece of cake. All in all, she looks like everything I am not, and that excites me, that is exactly what makes my eyes and mind glued to her like a moth to the flame.

Her laugh brings me back to reality from my thoughts and suddenly, my lips are widening into a smile, following her lead. "Am I that scary to you, Miss Swan?" She's leaning over the counter, resting her elbows on the white surface. Her cleavage is very nice from where I am standing and I force my eyes to meet hers again after dropping a bit too low. Looking at her face now, I realize she's still smiling and most probably joking. I don't know why people said she was the biggest bitch in this town. Then again, she was not very nice with me yesterday and come to think of it, this might be the first time she seems genuinely nice with me.

"No, it's just… You're my boss and I didn't want to intrude." My answer is only partially true. I do want to intrude, but she is my boss so I thought it would be the best if I respected her privacy.

"I am your boss and I did make a promise for this morning. So would you mind?" She's motioning for me to come behind the counter and I drop my bag on one of the chairs before joining her. Now that I have the full picture, I am even more in love with this woman because, damn, she's full of surprises. Her legs are wrapped up in a pair of skinny jeans, torn at her knees. A plain, black shirt with a V neck looks way more refined on her than it ever could on me, but either way, I did not expect to see the Evil Queen wearing a shirt, jeans and sneakers when I woke up this morning.

She must have caught me staring because she's crossing the small distance between us and fixing her eyes on mine. Just when I think how she's gonna make the one last step to close all the distance, she stops and holds my gaze with the weirdest, most self satisfied look I've ever seen on her. "I'm guessing that Lucas girl told you quite a bit about me the moment I walked out the door. I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that it was all bad." Her look is giving me chills and I feel incredibly small. At the same time, I am aware that she is close enough for me to be breathing the same air as her, and I don't mind one bit.

Still, as I open my mouth to lie to my boss, I am aware that whatever's gonna leave my lips is going to sound ridiculous because she probably knows no one in town likes her. So instead, I just shrug my shoulders and decide to say the partial truth. "Well you know how people are here in Storybrooke, everyone talks. Doesn't mean it's true." The smile I offer is small and my answer seems to be enough to Regina as she shifts away from me and sighs.

"Well, I don't care what people say about me, Miss Swan, as long as it doesn't affect how you work here, is that clear?" Her brown orbs are back on me and I nod my head in confirmation quickly. "Now, we're gonna teach you how to make foam, right? Because we can't have bad foam served to our guests."

I say nothing, as I feel the conversation between us is over and we are down to actions now. Actions I find quite to my liking because the goddess of a woman in front of me is turning around and bending down, opening one shelf from the bottom and pulling out milk from it. During the process, my eyes are mainly stuck on her perfect backside, but I remind myself that she is my boss and I don't stand a chance.

"Milk is always down here." She's turned towards me once again, and I walk a short distance to where she is, just to, once again, nod in confirmation. "I hope August told you already, but we have soy, almond, rice, coconut, oat and regular, cow milk. Depending on the preference of our guests, you'll be making coffees with these milks." And she's turning to the other side of the counter, pulling out a metal pot for milk. "Come here, you're making the foam."

"But… I've never made foam before. Can't you show me first?" I am insecure because yesterday August tried to explain the process to me, but it was very early in the morning and milk really wasn't on my mind as much as Regina.

"Don't worry, I'll help you." Gone was the cold woman people called the Evil Queen. She seemed genuinely nice and as I stood in front of the counter, she closed the space between us, so now she was standing side by side with me, our shoulders brushing slightly. "I am guessing August already showed you how to make an espresso, but let's go through it again, shall we?"

"Yeah, I know that." I smile and take control over this. Okay, I've made a thousand espressos yesterday, at least. I take the coffee extract bar and push it into the coffee grinder. It already smells amazing, even before it's made, and I continue with my process. I take the round thing you press coffee with, which yesterday I referred to as "presser", and August didn't correct me, and press the coffee into the bar. Just as I'm about to put it back into the coffee machine, I feel a warm hand stop me. I wondered how her touch would feel many times, but I didn't know my body would react this way to her. To the proximity, to the feel of my skin under her fingers, to the warm breath leaving her lips just to settle on my shoulder. She feels like the only person in the world right now and I can't help stealing a look on her eyes. Her eyes, though, are focused on my hand, and gliding slowly down it, to my palm and moving it so the coffee bar is set on the counter once again.

"You see the bits of coffee left on corners? You can't leave anything out, it has to be perfectly pressed and equal everywhere, not leaning on any sides, okay?" I am thinking of replying with words, but I am also pretty sure that only a groan would go out of my lips, so I settle for a nod, once again. She must think I am stupid or something, I barely spoke two words since I came this morning and all I do is move my head up and down. A way to impress your lady, Swan. But it doesn't matter, because the next thing I know, she's taking the bar in her own hands, our fingers touching for a moment. I am pretty sure I am blushing because suddenly the room feels incredibly hot, but I ignore the feeling and watch her fix what I've done. Internally I kick August for not showing me how to do this the right way, because today I could have impressed Regina and instead she is showing me how to make coffee from scratch. Before I even notice, she's done with everything and pouring milk into the pot. She doesn't seem to make notice of my mental wandering away, but I am suddenly freaking out about what comes next.

But seriously, what the hell is wrong with me? It's just milk. We're gonna make hot milk and foam, that's it.

"Miss Swan? Would you mind?" She's stepping away and motioning for me to stand in her place. "Are you feeling alright, dear? You look flustered and seem a bit lost." My cheeks burn even stronger at this notion and I smile awkwardly before muttering out a "yeah". "Would you mind taking the pot, then?"

"Oh, yeah." I am indeed lost because I am pinned in a very small space between Regina and the counter and I feel like the air is getting thicker with each breath I take. My hands close around the metal pot and I have no idea what to do next.

"This is the steam wand, you have to be careful with it, the air coming out is hot and you don't want to burn yourself." Before I know what the hell is happening, Regina's body is pressed against my back, her hands on each side of my own, almost as if she was embracing me. My heart is beating like crazy, and I don't really hear the rest of the things she says. I let her hand lead mine, putting the steam wand or whatever inside the pot, and she flicks a plastic stick above it. "You have to let it blow just a bit of air on the surface, that way the foam will be soft and creamy, alright?" Her eyes are on my face now and as I turn to face her, I realize that there is only a breath of space between us that I'd need to close for a kiss. My eyes land on her pink, full lips and the scar on them for a moment too long and I can almost feel myself leaning in before I remember why we're there and what we're doing.

"Uh-huh." Is all I manage before looking away. She saw it. She must have seen it. I can still feel the warmth of her breath on my neck and her focus is back on the milk just a second after I turn away.

Her left hand moves a little bit down, not fully covering my own anymore, but also the pot. "Now, when you feel that the pot is hot enough so you can't hold it comfortably anymore, that's the sign your milk is warm enough. Can you feel it?"

Oh I most certainly can feel it. I am burning and I am a hundred percent sure that the pot in my hands is ice cold compared to me, but I nod my head, too scared to look Regina's way.

Her right hand moves away from mine and the moment it's gone, I miss the warmth there. But I can also hear the funny sound milk makes as she flicks the plastic stick back in place and I see that the perfect foam she helped me make now has a lot more bubbles than before. I must have moved my hand and messed it up when I lost the contact, and I want to kill myself on one hand, but on the other I hope she's gonna help me make another one, and another one, and as many as it takes until I get it right. But she doesn't and she's out of my personal space before I can even protest.

"I messed it up." I say, setting the pot on the counter and running a hand through my hair.

"It's alright. This one can be saved." Regina smiles and she makes an espresso in a big cup before taking the pot with milk, hitting it lightly on the counter a couple times. "You see, the milk settles when you do this and the bubbles go away if there's not too many of them." She's circling with the pot and I can see the foam getting its creamy look again. "And you have a pretty decent coffee with this." Regina says, pouring the milk in the cup, her hand doing movements I think I'll never manage. In the end, I see a little swan made of foam and espresso colors and my heart is full in an instant. She's a master of art and I can honestly say I fucking love her. "A swan for a Swan." Her smile is abnormally kissable and I'd want nothing more than to just run my hands through her brown, glossy hair and capture those full lips in a word shattering kiss. But it's not meant to be and I just take the cup from her hands, intentionally touching her fingers in the process.

"Thank you." I could swear her eyes linger on mine more than intended, and the smile she's giving me feels real, not like the one I got on my first day, or on my interview. But the moment is quickly gone as the front door opens and August walks in. Great. What a way to ruin what could have been the best day of my life.

"Good morning, Booth." If I didn't know better, I'd say I see disappointment on Regina's face too. But I do know better and this can only be my imagination playing with me. "Now, I'll leave you to your work. Enjoy your coffee, Miss Swan." She fucking winks at me and is gone right after.

"Fuck…" I mutter under my breath, completely unprepared for the rest of my day.

I sip my coffee in what feels like two swallows and I can swear on my life this is the best coffee I have ever had in my life. Because Regina freaking Mills made it for me, with me.

**Hope you like this, guys. xoxo**


	5. Chapter 5

**Just a note before you start reading: Thank you very much for all kind comments! If anything, it's you guys who keep me writing and wanting to do more chapters! Please continue to write to me, anything, I just want to know if you guys liked it and if there's something you'd like to see in the future!**

**On the other hand, I need to tell you this as well: You're gonna absolutely hate me after this chapter! I know it doesn't have a whole lot of Regina really, it barely has any, but the chapter is important for the rest of the fanfiction and I've had it in mind since I started writing. As I wrote there in the beginning, it's a slow-burn SwanQueen and there's gonna be ups and downs down the road!  
Also, I am really sorry I am slow with updates, but online classes have me crazy and there's a whole lot of work that I have to do for college, but worry not, I am not leaving this fanfiction, I'm just slower than I thought I would be in writing.**

**That all being said, happy read!**

Something is off. Something is definitely off and I can see it by Regina's features, even though she's sitting at a table far away from me. Her eyes are on the redhead girl that has apparently been working here for more than a month. I can't tell why, but it looks like Regina is not the biggest fan of her and her eyes are glued either to her, or to Robin, and today she's looking at both of them like she'd choke them in a second. For a moment there, I remember that that's the look that probably caused people to start calling her the Evil Queen, and I can't help but smile at the fact that she's never looked at me like that, yet. Not even on my first day when I thought she hated me.

"'Hey, Swan, coffee's getting cold." I hear August say behind me and I turn around, slightly embarrassed because he probably caught me staring. But I can't help it, really, and I smile before taking the tray to the table of dwarves. Setting the coffees in front of each of them, I overhear a part of their conversation, something about the mines, and it's weird because there's seven of them and they are clearly missing a Snow White.

"What are you smiling at? Something funny here?" One of them speaks, clearly to me, and I realize I've been grinning the whole time. That's Grumpy right there, but I decide that I should play nice this time with him, especially because Regina is just a couple tables away from them and I don't want her to see me bickering with Grumpy as I usually do.

"I've just had a good day, Leroy."  
"It's too early to already have a good day." He waves me off with a hand and I take it as a sign I am forgiven for smiling and I walk away, a tray hanging in my hand as I do so. I move back to the counter, finding Zelena, the redhead girl, right there, looking at me with an amused smile. I don't smile back, though, because in all honesty, she seems very annoying, her accent is weird and even though she's kinda hot in a way, I can't bring myself to like her too much when Regina is looking at her the way she is. There's gotta be a reason behind that and I can't imagine why that would be. She was perfectly polite and helpful on my first couple days (except on the very first one) and Zelena must have done something to make Regina actually show any emotion so visibly.

"I'm very lucky you started working here, Emma. We usually fought about who would _not_ take the 'dwarf' table, yet here you are, willingly taking over and making my life a thousand times easier." She laughs and throws her head back while doing so. She's just… She's just so much! She's laughing loud, not caring about how she acts or how she sounds like to guests sitting not far from her and it's not very professional. I find that she's glancing towards Robin quite a lot, and she's not even trying to hide it. Looks like I'm not the only one having hots for a boss.

"We've only worked together for one day. I give you two more to take that back." I say jokingly to her because, in the end, I can at least be polite. I don't want her as a friend, but if we're gonna be working together, we might as well get along.

"More working and less talking, you two." August says behind us, and we both laugh (I laugh more silently), before noticing that Regina is walking up to us. Our voices die in our throats, but as I glance towards Zelena, I can see a challenging look she's giving Regina, almost as if she doesn't give a fuck it's our boss that approached us. She's leaning against the counter casually and it's even more obvious how little respect she has for Regina with me standing by her, face serious and back straightened with hair neatly pulled in a pony tail because they told us we had to have our hair up, while Zelena's wild, wavy hair is mostly out of her low bun.

"Zelena, would you mind terribly pulling your hair together? Your hair was in my food." She doesn't spare me even a glance before walking away to the toilet, I assume.  
"Sure thing, sis!" Zelena yells out and I stare at her, confused. Are those two sisters? If so, they look nothing alike and I simply can't imagine it. Why was Zelena even working as a waitress for her own sister? You'd think family would have some privilege, but considering the fact it's _Zelena, _I can see why Regina wouldn't let her do anything on a high position. She's not taking anything seriously. "What? You didn't know we were related? Regina is my half-sister."

"Oh…" Is all I say, and that makes more sense. Zelena must have caught me staring open mouth and figured what it was about. I suddenly don't know how to act, but I catch a glimpse of Grumpy there waving at me with his check and I excuse myself quickly, for once grateful to have him as a guest.

"What the fuck?" Ruby yells as I hug her from behind. She doesn't know it's me and her hands are full with plates, but I don't care because I just got off my shift and Ruby's about to do so too. I see her struggling to stand back straight and keep all plates in hands as she turns around, finally free from my embrace.

"Heya, wolfie." I say, because back when we were little, we used to play a lot and Ruby would always run around on all four, howling, pretending like she's a wolf that's about to eat me. Fun play for kids, huh? "Wanna hang out?"

"I'm gonna kick your ass as soon as I'm out of here." She smiles, setting the tables on the counter and walking back to hug me. I smile into her long, messy hair, because here at Granny's things are a little bit more chill and Ruby can have her hair down. As she pulls away, she playfully hits me on the hand and I yell an 'ouch' before having a seat on the high chair. "I'm gonna do worse than that, Swan." She laughs and moves behind the counter and into the kitchen. I can hear her saying goodbye to granny and she's out in a second, grabbing my hand and pulling me out the restaurant, almost making me fall off the chair in the process. We both laugh because, damn, I've missed her too much and I am sure she missed me too, I can tell by the cheesy smile on her face.

"So… Where to?" I ask, because Ruby is walking fast and I have a feeling she is taking me somewhere.

"I want to introduce you to someone. I have a feeling you'll like her." She says with a shrug of her shoulders and I immediately know there's more to it than she's letting show. It sounds like she wanted to point out it's a female and I can't help it, I have to ask.

"Who is she, may I ask?" My mind wonders off to Regina for a moment and I wonder if maybe Ruby somehow realized that I like her.

"_She_ is Ariel." She wiggles her brows and I have no idea why. "And we like Ariel. But she's too nice and she's also new in town, so we have to corrupt her a bit."

We walk some more, talking about our days at work, and she doesn't mention Ariel anymore until we end up in a small street that I've only been to once in my life. I don't remember it well because this is where the rich people live and there are big houses with big yards all around us, full of colorful flowers. I find it odd, really, because how do rich people even get the time to do flowers when they have to work really hard to pay those rents? Then again, some people are simply born rich and they probably have someone to do it for them.

We slow down as my eyes set on a redhead beauty sitting on a bench in front of a white mansion. I can see apple trees all around it, the fruits colored a blood red, looking delicious. Still, my focus goes back on the unknown girl and as soon as she sees us, her lips widen into a lovely smile, so it's safe to assume it's Ariel sitting right there.

"Hey, little mermaid!" Ruby yells, sitting next to her and pulling her into a tight hug, while the other girl laughs and awkwardly hugs her back. I guess she's not used to the tough love Ruby gives, but if she chose her as a friend, she'd have to learn to live with it.

"Hey." I offer my hand as soon as she's out of the deadly grip, and she takes it with a smile. Her hand is cold in mine and I realize it's a bit chill outside, but Ruby and I have been walking to here so we're quite warmed up. "I'm Emma."

"Ariel." She says, and Ruby is hanging her hand over the poor girl's shoulders, pulling her in a bit closer once again.

"Can you imagine? Her name is Ariel and she's a cute redhead, just like a little mermaid! Only this one can speak!" She laughs, as if I didn't get the joke first time she called her that, and I roll my eyes, follow it with a snort, as I have a seat on the other side of the bench.

"Do you need me to just kick her ass like, right now?" I ask jokingly because I know Ruby can be much at times, but she means well. She used to make fun of me when I first told her I was Emma Swan – called me a white chick, and found it awfully hilarious. When I didn't laugh with her, she started explaining why white chick because 'come on, it's a white chick-chicken! You're a white chicken and Swan is a white bird so that makes you a white chick!' and, much like with Ariel's nickname, I just rolled my eyes and let it pass with a smile.

"It's okay. I'm fine, really. Wasn't sure if I was getting stood up here, though. Why are you not replying your messages, Rubes? I sent you at least four an hour ago to see if the deal is still on." Her voice is gentle and she pushes Ruby with an elbow slowly with a smile. Ruby, on the other hand looks at her with wide eyes and starts frantically checking her pockets.

"Shit, I'm sorry! I was working and I forgot my phone at Granny's!" And then she's up on her feet in a second, looking between me and Ariel. "I gotta go grab it, can I leave you two for like a twenty? I'll be back before you know it." She offers an apologetic smile and doesn't even wait for our response before turning around and walking away from us.

I feel a little odd, being left with a complete stranger, but then again, the girl seems nice and I try to search my brain for questions to ask and not let a weird silence settle between us.

"She's really something, huh?" I say and Ariel sighs, shaking her head with a laugh.

"Yeah, she is."

"So, how long have you been here, in Storybrooke?" I ask, lifting one leg up on the bench and pulling it under the one that's freely hanging from it because I just don't know how to sit properly like a girl.

"Only two weeks, really. But I met Ruby on my second day here when I visited Granny's and so far, I've only met her, you and Eric, out of people my age." I notice a blush creeping up her cheeks and a shy smile as she pronounces Eric's name. I have no idea who Eric is, so I decide to find out because by her reaction he must really be something.

"Who's Eric?"

"Oh, he's just a guy that I met when I was looking at the boats. He owns one." I have a feeling I am onto something here and, I can't help it, I am curious by nature and this girl seems so sweet that I find myself wanting to help her out with this. I haven't had many relationships, but I am good at advice, I think.

"Aaaaaaaaand?" I push her further, wiggling my eyebrows at her. She looks away from me and shrugs her shoulders, avoiding my gaze as her cheeks turn even a darker shade of pink.

"And nothing. We just went for one boat ride. He seems nice enough." She can't help smiling at the memory and I smile with her.

"So you like him?" When she rolls her eyes and finally looks me again in the eye, I know I'm on the right track. "Did you kiss?" I'm pushing my luck with this because we've only been here a minute and I'm already asking her all these personal questions, while she doesn't even know my full name. She doesn't seem to mind, though, seems like a genuinely nice and happy person and she just waves her head in a 'no'.

"I think he wanted to, but I got scared."

"Did you ever kiss anyone?" I keep asking because I honestly find that hard to believe. The girl in front of me is probably my age, but she's drop dead gorgeous and I can't really imagine there wasn't at least a dozen guys so far that tried to hit on her. Or girls. Who knows.

"I did, but I am pretty sure I was bad at it. Which is why I don't want to ruin things with Eric." If she was pink before, now she's almost as red as those apples that caught my eye on the way here.

"You can't be bad at kissing." I laugh and she's once again avoiding my eyes, exhaling deeply. There's something more to it and I feel like maybe I've gone too far, but then she speaks up again and I turn into ears.

"Well, I asked the guy who kissed me first how I did, and he told me it could have been better. Longer. We just never spoke after that." Her face drops and I feel bad for her, but also angry with the douchebag who treated her like that. Ariel is beautiful and sweet and doesn't deserve to skip a chance at happiness because she's unsure of her kissing, especially not because of some jerk who doesn't deserve her. And that's when the weirdest idea comes into my head – one that would benefit us both.

"First of all, he's an asshole and if he never spoke to you again, that means he's just a blind man at the perfection in front of him." With those words, her features gain a brighter side and she laughs silently, almost as if she doesn't believe me. "And second of all, if you're so unsure of how you kiss, why not practice?" I am holding my breath from the second I pronounce those words and I'm already waiting on shock to show on her face. It doesn't come, though, just a confused look and eyes a little brighter than before.

"With who?" She asks, but she gets the message as our eyes meet and her eyebrows raise in surprise. "With you? You'd – you'd teach me how to kiss? Now?" She stammers a bit, but I can tell that she isn't at all repulsed by the thought, just surprised and maybe a bit excited.

"Why not? I've never kissed a girl, I'm curious. And you want to learn how to kiss, so we both benefit from it." I offer a goofy smile and she, surprisingly, gives one back.  
"Okay." She whispers, and I'm surprised she agreed to it because we just met, but then there's a newfound determination in her eyes. "But you need to tell me honestly how I do."

I nod my head, unsure of how to proceed with this plan I made out in my head. I push myself a bit closer to Ariel and she does so too, and I can feel my heart beating loud in my ears. I am both scared and excited, and I can feel my hand shake slightly as I raise it to cup her cheek before closing my eyes and the little bit of distance that was left between us.

My lips are on hers, and I am surprised by how soft they are. Her hand finds its way to my hair and she shuffles even closer, letting our lips separate for a short second before closing in again. It's slow and soft and she moves her lips against mine in a steady rhythm, letting out a soft whimper when I tug her bottom lift gently. "Is that okay?" I ask, barely moving away and I can feel her nod her head before I lean in once again, this time letting my tongue caress her lips slowly, letting her adjust to the sensation. She's mimicking my moves, opening her mouth and our tongues touch for the first time. She doesn't seem to mind, and she tilts her head to the side, getting a better angle, and soon the kiss is solid, our tongues dancing against each other, turning more heated and I find myself enjoying it more than I expected.

It ends soon, though, and it ends with a single, slow peck of our lips against each other, and I can feel Ariel's breath ghost over my lips for a couple seconds before we pull away from each other.

"How did I do?" She asks, and I can't help but smile at that. She's looking me in the eye and she's breathing a bit heavier than before and I take it as a sign that _I _did good.

"It was a good kiss." She looks at me with narrow eyes, almost as if she doesn't believe me and I laugh. "Honestly, it was one of the better kisses I had. You're a natural!" I raise my hands in the air as if I surrender to something, and her lips are once again spread in a wide smile.

"Thank you." She smiles and I shake my head in disbelief, letting my eyes wonder on my left for a moment, on the white mansion that caught my eye before. Words are suddenly stuck in my throat as I see fucking _Regina_ on the window, and our eyes meet for a mere second before she's pulling together the curtains and disappearing behind them. I stare at the window long after she's gone, dumbfounded, and I can't freaking believe my luck! Only then I notice the black Mercedes parked in front of the mansion and I curse myself, a lot. But why the fuck do I even care because whatever she saw from that window she cannot care about when she has a gorgeous, blue eyed man probably waiting on her inside the house.

I feel a hand on my hand, gently shaking it, and I recognize Ariel's voice pulling me out of my thoughts. My eyes focus back on her and she seems genuinely worried with me. "Hey, Emma, you okay? You wondered off. Did I say something wrong?"

"No, no. I'm sorry, I just remembered something about work, it's nothing." I force a smile, and then I can see Ruby walking fast towards us, typing something on her phone.

"Oh, okay. If you wanna talk about it…" She offers, but I shake my head and smile, more honestly this time.

"Look who finally came to join us." With that, Ariel's focus is on Ruby again, and we spend the rest of our evening making jokes, bonding more quickly than I thought was possible. Regina and what she saw is constantly on my mind, but if nothing else, at least I finally figured out what I want and what I like, even if it can't be her.

**Aand the end of the chapter! Once again, please don't hate me, I promised the endgame is SwanQueen and this is important for the next chapters, there are not gonna be any more mentions of Emma and Ariel in a romantic set! This was purely curiosity and help from a friend, even if it seems a bit odd at the moment! Ariel is probably stay in the story, but since she knows how to kiss now, and how to do so good, she can fly to her prince on a white horse:))) **


	6. Chapter 6

"Someone got up on their left foot." I say with a frown to August, who's working as a waiter today. It's not often that someone switches positions like that, but I've been told I'd have to learn how to work in a bar as well, so maybe that's just how things work here.

"No kidding. She threatened to fire me three times this morning, and usually it's just three times per week." He's smiling, but I can see that she got on his nerves as well. After last night, when she saw, or at least I assume she saw, me and Ariel kissing, something changed.

Regina doesn't seem to even look me properly in the eye while speaking, and I find myself wondering what the fuck that is all about. I want to believe that she's jealous, but the chances are slim since she's with Robin and I've only been there for a couple of days. I thought she found me okay, since she acted like it until today, but I may have been wrong. Maybe she found the idea of two girls together out of this world and is now punishing me for it? Wouldn't be the first time someone reacted like that to gay or bisexual people. In my life, I've heard a whole lot of "being gay is something people made up" or "it's sick and wrong", but I didn't think I'd be getting that kind of vibe from my boss. In the end, what happened between me and anyone that's not her should not be any of her damn business, if that's what all this is about. Yet, I still find it hard to believe and it might be something personal of hers, maybe she got into a fight with Robin or Zelena.

"World calls Emma!" August waves his hand in front of my eyes and I smile, though it doesn't reach my eyes, as I catch his hand and twist it. He makes a hurt face, even though I didn't twist it strong enough to actually hurt. "Hey, don't tell me you're in a bitchy mood today as well."

"I'm not, just got lost in thoughts." I say, leaning against the counter, and letting out a loud sigh.

"Don't tell me it's because of her, Swan. If she got under your skin so fast, you'll be going crazy in less than a week. I've been here longer, she wore me out." He pushes me jokingly and glances around the restaurant.

"Do you know what it's about? I mean, if it's us maybe we can fix it." I'm saying that only because I don't know what else to say. I can't exactly tell August everything about last night, even though I do consider him a friend now. He's been there for me for the past few days and he's funny, nice, but I'm not ready to drop a bomb on him yet. I'm pretty sure your boss catching you snog with someone is not a thing that happens every day. Except that, I don't really want to put it out there because of Ariel.

"Well, people are talking here, Swan." He says it silently and I realize whatever he's going to say is for my ears only. "Robin and Zelena are out of town."

For a second, I stare at him, not realizing what that's supposed to mean. "So what?"

"Well we knew Robin would be leaving for work, but Zelena told Regina _yesterday_ that she would be out of town for a couple of days. Take a wild guess, will you?" He looks at me like with raised eyebrows, and then laughs when my face still shows no signs of recognition. "And I just saw them this morning pass in the same car by my house on their way out of town."

My jaw drops and my lips form an 'o' in disbelief. "Robin's cheating on Regina with her sister?" I say that in a loud whisper, still taken by surprise.

"That's my guess. She must know, otherwise why be all bitchy?" August shrugs his shoulders and looks away, once again, to find a raised hand of a guest. "Gotta run." He says before making his way to the table.

I should feel better, but I feel even worse. Regina's private life should stay private and I'm hoping August told me about this and no one else. I don't think he's that kind of person, he probably told just because I asked, but I feel bad knowing that Regina's problems were not kept behind the locked door, but rather splashed out in front of everyone. If August saw it, someone else may have as well and even if she doesn't know about it now, she will find out from someone else soon enough and it will hurt her.

* * *

"May I have a word with you, Miss Swan?" Her voice is cold and eyes set on the glass of red she's holding in her hand.

All customers are already out and it's a few minutes before closing. August left home an hour ago, since he's first shift in the morning and Regina showed mercy, telling him to go home sooner and get some sleep. I am alone with Regina in the restaurant, just waiting to close for the night. But looks like it won't be so simple.

"Yeah, sure." I say clumsily as I walk towards the table. The woman looks even better than just a couple of hours ago. She went home and changed and, apparently, a tight, red dress with a dangerously low cleavage was her choice of clothing for closing hour. _Why_ is a mystery to me, although it could be just to torture me.

"Have a seat, please." She says, taking a sip of her wine. Her tone makes no space for arguing, so I just do as instructed and have a seat on a chair next to her. I could have had a seat across of Regina as well, but for some stupid reason unknown to even me, I decide to have a seat right next to the Evil Queen, even if it's just to have all her wrath thrown on me.

"Did I do something wrong?" I can't help but ask, folding my hands on my lap clumsily. It's weird because we haven't been alone since that foam making lesson and things between us were more relaxed back then. Now I don't know how to act.

"Not at all." Her eyes finally meet mine and I can see that most of the anger has gone. Now there's just some sadness in them and I can't quite get what that means. She takes in a deep breath before continuing. "How do you like working here?"

She catches me by surprise. I expected anything but small talk going on and it makes me realize that she must be lonely. Even if she knows about Robin and Zelena, she doesn't want to talk about it and would rather sit in her own restaurant with her waitress than go home and think about it. Or maybe she doesn't know. "It's nice." I nod my head, my eyes falling down to my hands in my lap for a short second before meeting hers again. "August is nice and helpful, guests are fine." I don't dare say anything about her because I am still torn between the _I love you, woman_ and _You can be a bitch_ because I feel both of those at the same time and I'd rather keep it to myself.

"And I'm proving to be a hell of the Evil Queen, huh?" The smile she gives me is kind of sad, again and I realize it's a mistake that I didn't say anything about her. Even the 'I love you woman' would be better than not saying anything at all. "It's alright, I know how people feel about me."

"No, Regina…" I don't know what to say. Looking at her like a hurt puppy makes me want to just hug her and tell her how I truly feel. Yeah she can be a bitch sometimes, but the person who helped me, who was careful and gentle is still in there, I can tell, even with layers of Evil Queen on top of it. "You're a good boss." I finally mutter out, though I feel like it's not enough. I watch her raise her brows in disbelief and take another sip of her wine. "No, really. I mean you are a little tough sometimes, but you make sure to have everything in order all the time. You pick your staff and apparently train them to be resistant to your toughness and if they're weak, you don't want them here because weak people can't handle you." I am not sure if I am crossing the line but words just keep coming out. Then I hear a chuckle, an honest one, and Regina's eyes are reflecting something much like amusement while she's looking at me.

"You're quite something, Miss Swan." She says, her tongue picking up on the drop that threatened to fall down her bottom lip, but the movement is sensual and I feel a chill going down my spine just looking at the sight in front of me. "Do you drink wine?" Her voice snaps me back to reality and I meet and amused smirk on her lips.

"I drink everything." Is all I manage and I probably should have said something like _Oh, black is my favorite_ or a simple fucking _I do_, but no, I gotta rush into it and sound like a 21 alcoholic. My favorite drink is beer, and I just love the combination of it and tequila, it hits hard, but that I'm not going to tell my boss because I have a feeling this was more of an offer than a question.

"Good." And Regina's standing up, walking away from the table and swaying her hips in that tight dress as if she knows it kills me to look at her perfect backside and not be able to actually get a reach of it. "Red?" She throws a quick glance towards me and I nod shortly before she reaches up to take one more wine glass and then moves to take an opened bottle, though barely spent, in her other hand. She's back next to me quickly and she takes in a deep breath after sitting down again. "Am I holding you back from something? If you have better things to do, you're free to go." She says it as if she only then remembers that my working hours are over. Even though she seems lonely, her voice gets a colder note at the end and I feel like she wants to distance herself from me in case I tell her I actually do have better things to do. But, in all honesty, I'd jump straight to bed after work, and even if I didn't, I'd cancel all my plans to stay with her.  
"Not really, Ruby's the only friend I got in this town and we never hang after second shifts. Gotta get some beauty sleep." I try to make a joke, but Regina's eyes are studying my face and I can tell she wants to say something but is unsure of it. She opens the bottle with her slick, thin fingers and pours the wine into the glass in front of me, and then adds some more into her own.

"And your girlfriend?" And there it is. I thought she wouldn't mention it, purely for the fact that she was the one watching behind the window shamelessly, but she doesn't seem to see it that way.

"She's not my girlfriend. I don't have one at the moment." I reply carefully, because I know that this is something I want to end there. Ariel's privacy, even though I didn't think about it much when I kissed her in the middle of the street, is important to me and I wouldn't want anyone knowing her name or thinking that we're together when she has a boy she wants to surprise with a solid kiss that I taught her.

"Oh… So you were kissing a random girl in front of my house?" She pushes and I stare at her, feeling a bit attacked. I know she's just curious for God knows what reason, but I don't question her about her personal life.

I raise my glass, feeling the cold surface of it chill my warm hand, before bringing it to my lips and taking a rather large sip of the wine. It's sweet and strong, burning its way down my throat and I try, though do not fully succeed, in not making a face. I haven't drank much wine in my life and it's showing, yet this one I find oddly to my liking. "With all due respect, why would you care? There wasn't quite a questionnaire when I came in here, asking about my sexual preference and relationship status." I bite back and immediately regret it, but once again I am surprised by her reaction because she doesn't seem pissed, just surprised. And then there's a smirk forming on her delicate, full lips, and my eyes fall upon the scar, before it's covered by the wine glass and yet another sip of her drink.

"Well, Miss Swan…" She makes a pause there, as if she wants me to know that she's intentionally calling me that because she doesn't seem to call August Mr Booth. "I was just wondering why my employee was snogging with someone in front of my house, not even a full week after she came here." It's a punch, a low one, but she seems to have gotten the hint by my surprised face. "But you have a point. I couldn't care less about your preference or your status, I was just surprised to be able to see it from my window. I apologize if I crossed any lines."

The woman is insufferable. I can't believe she manages to intrude my personal life so quickly, yet again, the last think I expected for her to do is apologize. I take a sip more of my wine while I think of what to say about any of this. "Well if you really want to know, I'm bisexual. And how about you?" It's brave, I know, but by the surprised look on her face, I can tell right away that it's not up for discussion.

"I'm with Robin. Which sorts out at least one thing." She knows what I was aiming for, I can feel it in my gut, but something's off at the mention of Robin's name. As much as I want to ask her if she's okay, as much as I want to get into this and tell her, if she doesn't already know, that the chances are big her boyfriend is a cheating ass, I can't. He could always turn things up against me and I could end up being the bad guy. It's my word against his, and I can't even claim that Robin is cheating because all August saw, _August, not me, _is Robin and Zelena driving in the same car. Not a kiss, not anything. So I hate myself for a moment there, because I know I should be honest, as a woman to a woman, but then again my attraction for Regina might as well be obvious to her and I don't want her thinking I'm just saying those things to tear them apart.

"Regina?" When she hums softly in response, she seems like she was lost in her thoughts before that. She feels just like… Regina. And she doesn't comment on me calling her by first name, though I wouldn't risk it in front of people, but now that we're alone, in a somewhat sensitive bubble, I feel like I have the freedom. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, Miss Swan…" She starts, as if I was making things up, and I quickly cover her hand with mine, against better reason, because I want her to listen, to really listen to me instead of hiding. And it probably won't work because she doesn't know me, probably doesn't trust me, but by looks of it, she has no friends and I am the closest thing to it behind the closed door because none of the people she's treating lunches and drinks with are here, I am. Emma fucking Swan is there for the Evil Queen.

"Regina, I mean it. I am pretty sure if you feed me enough of this wine I'll forget everything you tell me tonight, so make sure that happens, but if you want to talk about something, I'm here. It might be hard to believe, but I can see that something is bothering you and you can talk to me." Her face is unreadable to me.

Uncomfortable silence falls between us and I see her walls building up. Her face turns cold, she straightens her back, but for some reason, she doesn't move her hand from underneath mine and for that I'm grateful.

"Everything's alright, Miss Swan. It's getting late, we should call it a night." She's avoiding my gaze and standing up, picking her glass and the bottle and heading to the counter.

I stay silent, because I managed to ruin whatever it was that happened tonight. I managed to make Regina smile, make playful comments, enjoy my company, offer me wine, and in the end ruin it all. I feel like shit and my eyes don't leave her figure not even for a second. She can tell that I'm staring and leans against the counter with her back, hands resting on the flat surface. "I'm going to lock up. And I'll see you tomorrow."

When she speaks those words, I know the fight is lost. I pick up my phone, making slow hesitant steps because I want to stay and fight her on this, make her see that I can be trusted and I'm not like the others who only seem to use her. But it would be pointless because I'm no one to her. Just a figure to fill her night away from Robin, to make her feel less alone. She can intrude my personality, making snarky comments on my actions, but when I show that I am truly worried about her, she kicks me out and I listen, like a hurt puppy. Damn that woman, damn Regina Mills.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, guys, I just wanted to say once again that you are AMAZING and I appreciate all the support you're giving me to keep writing this story! So here's a small blast from the past that will shake Regina and Emma's story a tiny little bit! :3 As I already mentioned, the story is AU, and although I kept most of the characters, you'll see I won't stay true to their connections in the past completely, which I hope you'll find alright, since it's going to make our dear Emma feel a bit better and more confident about Regina!**

**Also thank you very much for all the lovely reviews and a special thank you to Gryffindor620, as I mentioned before that I'd like some constructive criticism as well and that's what she did! I'll try to work on the thoughts being in italics from now on, but it's gonna be rare since this is first person writing, which I've never done before and I can't really decide on where to put it, lol.**

**Please let me know what you think of this one!  
Happy reading!**

A few days passed since Regina and I had a little attempt of a friendly conversation, but nothing seems to have changed between us. I expected her to ignore me, be cold towards me, but she simply acts as if everything is alright and she didn't kick me out after asking about her feelings. She speaks to me like she speaks to August, sometimes smiles, but not once calls to speak to me again. Last night I was closing and she was once again, the last person with me in the restaurant, but as August left, she stood up behind me, said 'good night, Miss Swan' and disappeared behind the door.

I shouldn't think about it that much, not really, but Robin and Zelena haven't returned yet (day 4) and it's getting kinda obvious that they ran together. I mean, I know Robin has some shady business on the side now, but Zelena isn't much of a thief, doesn't need to be since her family is not really poor, so my guess stays the same, rumors about them two spreading as fast as fire through the town.

_Some days, like today, I wonder what the hell I'm even doing there._ And my little rain of thoughts is interrupted as my shift ends and, as on cue, my phone rings and I read _Mary Margaret._

"Hey, mom. What's up?" I answer the phone, pulling the hair tie off of my bun and rushing the free hand through the wild locks that spread down my shoulders. My head feels more relaxed the same moment and I pick up my bag while heading for the door.

"Hey, sweetheart. Your shift ends now, right? I'm not calling at the bad time?"

"Yeah, I'm just going out…" The words die in my throat as I stare at the sight in front of me. The moment I open the door, two well known figures wave at me, smiles spread wide across their faces. I quickly shove the phone inside my pocket, rushing to pull them both in an uncomfortable hug.

I can hear Mary Margaret laugh and it's music to my ears because I've missed them both so much and I didn't even realize that until now.

"What are you guys doing here?" I ask, pulling away, though I don't really care as long as they're there at that exact moment. Somehow work has kept me busy and nights with Ruby, and sometimes Ariel, filled my time and I wasn't really alone. But looking at mom and dad stand in front of me remind me of all the things I missed about home, about them, about the freaking food that was nowhere near Mary Margaret's excellent cooking.

"Well, we thought we'd make this a surprise! We both missed you a lot!" Mary's face beams as she places both hands on either side of my cheeks, making me feel like I'm five again. Her eyes trail over each feature of my face and she grins widely while staring. "Look at her David! It hasn't even been a month and I feel like she's all grown up already!"

"That she is indeed." David smiles proudly, though I'm thankful he doesn't move to hug me or hold my face, or anything of sorts really, because I'm in front of the restaurant I work and it's just weird. But it's also kind of charming, as everything they do is, and I catch David's eyes wondering over the Regal letters. "Isn't this Regina's restaurant?" He asks, his brows forming a small frown as his look settles back on me.

My mind goes back to my conversation with Regina. I know the three know each other, but I don't know what happened to earn such reactions from any of them. My eyes search for Mary, who thankfully removed her hands from my cheeks, and she looks worried for a moment before her eyes meet mine and it's as if her mood suddenly switches, like many times she tried to hide something bad from me, and she offers me a small, but unconvincing smile.

"Yeah, Regina's my boss. She mentioned she knows you two. How come?" I ask, but Mary waves it off with her hand as if it's nothing and smiles a little wider.

"We knew each other when we were younger. A long story." But it's not enough and I need to know more, but David's hand is suddenly wrapped around my shoulders, nudging me to continue forward and match his steps.  
"Let's go get something to eat at Granny's huh? I know how much you love her grilled cheese sandwiches." And with that, the moment is gone and the opportunity to find out more destroyed.

There is something going on and I need to know what. Regina and both my parents are acting odd about this and I have no intention of letting my parents go without finding out what all the fuss is about. If I'm going to work for her, I need to know why they don't like each other and if that might be the reason Regina stays away from me, when everything inside my being is screaming that we felt right that night together, that we were on a good path. Maybe she just doesn't feel comfortable sharing anything with me because of her past with my parents, and I have every intention on looking into it. Later, though, because I don't want to ruin the sweet moment between me and my two favorite people, not yet.

* * *

The moment we walk inside Granny's my eyes land on Regina sitting at the counter, probably waiting on her lasagna, as the last time when we met here. Her eyes meet mine and I can see the surprise on her face when she sees me with Mary and David by my side, though if I am reading it right, there's also slight amusement in her eyes as well. But then again, it looks like everything uncomfortable to me is amusing to Regina, so I just wave awkwardly, which turns out to be a mistake because Mary is searching for where my eyes landed and she's suddenly shouting "Regina!", with a wide smile.

Regina's face falls though, her eyes rolling, but she stands up and heads toward us, and I search for David's reaction and find his lips formed a thin, straight line, which is never a good thing. He wants to hide it when he sees my face, and smiles, but there seem to be a lot of fake smiles nowadays.

"Mary Margaret. Who would have thought we'd meet like this?" Her smile is fake, I can tell now, but her focus is firmly on my mom, not even once looking away to me. I'm slightly disappointed, but I feel like this might be interesting.

"It's nice to see you again, Regina. It's been a long time." Mary says and David just stands there, hands in his pockets, face still as stone.

"I wish I could say the same." Her smile stays the same, that coldness in her voice that I got to know suddenly appearing.

"And how's our Emma?" I'm surprised to hear David speak, but he's wrapping his hand around my shoulders, squeezing one reassuringly, almost as if he wants to protect me from something. I feel like I'm in the middle of something that is going to explode and I'm not really fond of the feeling. Everyone is hiding something.  
"I actually grew quite fond of her. It's almost hard to believe she's your own flesh and blood." It hurts. I immediately feel a stinging pain in my chest as she says those words. _Does she know I'm adopted? Is she saying this to hurt me? Or is she just being herself with snarky comments?_

I can tell Mary Margaret is struggling with what to say, her mouth half open, but words stuck in her throat.

"Actually, I'm adopted. And we were going to have some lunch, so if you'll excuse us." Words are out before I process them, but I don't regret them. Regina's staring at me and I see surprise on her face, but it doesn't really matter if she knew or not. I'm not going to stand there and listen to her say shit about my parents, not before I know what's going on. So I make a step forward, next to Regina, pulling David by his hand that's wrapped around me along. Mary Margaret follows and I slide into the booth with a sour face.

"I know you guys think you're protecting me from something, but I need to know what's going on between you and Regina." That's the first thing I say, even before Mary and David are comfortable in their seats. They look at each other and there's uncomfortable silence while I feel like they're mentally communicating on how to go around the subject.

"Emma, there are some things better left in the past." David says, but I don't get the feeling he understands. I'm already inside this mess, and I got there because they are not telling me things.

"Listen, whatever it is, I'll understand. But Regina wouldn't talk about it, and you guys are keeping something from me too. I think it's only fair that I know why she… dislikes you. I do work for her, in the end." I opt for the word 'hate', but I don't want to sound cruel. Still, from what I saw not even a full minute ago, I'd say I wouldn't be mistaking even using that word.

Mary takes a deep breath before folding her hands over the table. It feels like I got to her somehow, and I glance to see if Regina is anywhere close, but she must have grabbed the food and gone out the moment she got it, for what I'm grateful. "When we were younger, Regina was like a sister to me." She starts, and my full attention is on her. I see David place a reassuring hand over hers and I wonder what kind of bomb they are about to drop on me. "I was a little younger than her, and our moms were close friends. Back at the time, I didn't realize how strange it was for two girls to be together, I just thought… Love was love, you know?" She searches for understanding in my eyes and I nod my head, unsure where she's heading with this. "But when I saw Regina and her girlfriend at the time, Kathryn, I thought they just looked happy, you know? They were really young, a little bit over 16, but they were talking about how they'd get married one day and be happy forever." The information about Regina being bisexual comes as a pleasant surprise and I can feel my heart racing. I don't see how the story mom's telling me could have gone wrong, but I'm patient, waiting for it. "She told me not to tell anyone, that it was a secret. But when her 17th birthday came up, Cora, Regina's mother, insisted that we have a small dinner, no friends, just family. And I was considered family, I was supposed to be there, but I knew how happy Regina would be if Kathryn showed up, so I asked Cora to make an exception for Regina's girlfriend, to let her come and I told her that I knew how much they were in love and that it would be the biggest present she could ever give her." Chills go down my spine as I feel how the story is going downhill. Maybe Regina is right to not love my mom. "Gosh, I didn't know, Emma! I didn't know it would turn out like that, but I found Regina crying in her bedroom on her birthday, not wanting to come out because Kathryn left her, she moved out. She told Regina her parents found out about them and Cora insisted, with a great amount of money as a present, that her whole family moves, starts a new life somewhere far from her child because she would not heave a petty peasant like Kathryn marry her favorite daughter. And Kathryn had no choice but to go with her parents. I have a feeling that along with the money some threats were said, but I couldn't have known that would happen. I just wanted to help and when I told Regina that I had best intentions in mind, she looked at me in pure shock. She didn't know I was the one to give out her secret. So I guess, honey, she still blames me for losing the love of her life." Mary ends with a sigh, shaking her head and leaning back into the seat.

I understand now. I am a bit disappointed with my mom, but she truly didn't want to do anything bad. Still, sometimes by helping people we just ruin things for them, because everything is perfect just without any influence on the side. Mary's looking away, ashamed, but I reach out forward, taking one of her hands in mine, forcing her to look at me. "It's alright. Thank you for telling me." I say, although I know it's not alright. But she didn't do anything to harm me, ever, she and David took me in their family and I can't be angry with her for not being the brightest of children. She wanted to do good, to help, but the one who should be to blame is supposed to be Regina's mother, not mine. "I think Regina's hate is not all that justified. Her mother had done a much worse thing than you did, although you did have some part of it. I just wish I knew this before." I say, offering a small smile. _It makes sense Regina didn't want to speak openly to me a couple nights before. She's probably afraid I'll let her trust down like my mom and she didn't want to risk being hurt by the same family twice._

"Let's get something to eat." David says, as he raises his hand to call Ruby to take our orders.

* * *

By the end of the day, I'm well fed and Mary and David are looking for a more suitable place for me to live in. I never really got out of the rented room. It's hard to find a roommate in a town where you know only two people, and both of them already have places to live. So, an hour ago, we found a cute place, although with much more space than I'd ever need. They said they'd gladly pay the rent, since I was working hard to pay my college, and that it's no problem, really. So they helped me move in immediately, since the place already has all the furniture and I was handed the key as soon as the money touched the owner's hand, and right now, I'm sitting on the big couch, watching TV, while Mary and David are cooking dinner together out of all the things they bought to fill my fridge.

Three hours later, I slip into an oversized shirt and a bottom part of my pajama, and slide under the covers of my new room. My parents insisted it would be easier if I took the room downstairs, but somehow this room feels more like me.

_I may still need to get a roommate, _I think, as I switch off the light and fall asleep, slightly afraid of the emptiness that's going to fill the house once Mary and David are gone.

* * *

"Miss Swan, may I have a word?" _Here it comes._ I expected Regina to have the talk with me since I came at work, and I'm not even sorting out the possibility of her telling me I'd have to leave. I stood up to her, I was even rude yesterday at Granny's and I can feel the color draining from my face.

"Yes, Miss Mills." I know I've called her several times by her first name, but this doesn't feel like an occasion for that. If anything, it feels like a goodbye. _Gosh, I hope I'm just overthinking all this._

"Bring yourself a glass and join me." I stay in place, brows furrowed in confusion. It feels insanely like a déjà vu of a couple nights ago, when we almost had a heart to heart talk. Not what I expected, but she may still want to fire me, may just want to torture me a little more before she lets me go. Still, I'd rather spend time drinking wine with the gorgeous woman than fret over it, so I move and do as I'm told. As soon as my butt hits the chair, I start talking. "Listen, I'm sorry about how I acted…"

"Let me stop you right there, Miss Swan." She moves to open the bottle that's already been on her table, and pours me a rather large amount of wine and I don't dare open my mouth until she says something. "Do not apologize to me for something you truly meant. I am sorry I attacked your mother like that in front of you. As you may already know, some things happened between us in the past and I shouldn't have let you get pulled in our relationship. You're not the one to blame." I can see how hard it is for her to apologize, especially when she has a reason not to love my mother. But I'm grateful that she made the effort either way, and I can't help but wonder why she's doing all this. I am a waitress, she could easily fire me and not have to deal with the woman who betrayed her trust, and her child. Yet, she's not. She's trying to keep me close to her and I desperately want to stay.

"Thank you." I say silently, my eyes dropping down as I gain courage to confess. "I'm adopted, by the way. I wasn't just angry because you attacked my mother, but because I felt attacked too. But now I know it wasn't your intention and I do still want to apologize. I shouldn't have lashed out like that, I just have a hard time controlling my emotions when my family and my status in it are brought in question." I feel my heart beating harder again, and I can't remember the last time I felt this nervous. I am revealing to this woman everything about me and I don't know if I should. I still can't figure out if she wants to be my friend, my boss, or something else and it's hard to know where to draw the line.

"I didn't know, Emma." It's the first time she calls me by my name and my eyes instantly shoot up to meet hers. I don't know if there's understanding or pity in her eyes, but my train of thoughts is interrupted by a gentle stroke on my hand. It's reassuring, safe, but it causes chills down my spine and everything is spinning. I'll never know how such a simple touch can be so intense and why she holds so much power over me, but I nod, not daring to move my hand because I want to feel her touch as long as she'll let me.

"I doesn't matter anymore. And, for what it's worth, I'm sorry about what my mom did. She told me all about it and she feels horrible too." The contact is gone and Regina's face turns more serious. She takes her glass and swirls it before taking a sip of her drink and I follow, unsure what else to do. _Did I just mess it up again?_

"So you know." She states, matter-of-factly, and it should be my turn to make her feel better, but I'm not sure if she'd appreciate me touching her at the moment. "I would appreciate it if you kept the information to yourself. Not many people know about what happened and I'd like to keep it that way." There's a short break before she speaks again. "I can't believe Mary Margaret managed to fail twice at keeping the same secret." She laughs, bitterly, and takes another sip of her drink. I feel bad, because I shouldn't have mentioned it and I stupidly thought that honesty would be the best way to keep our relationship as it is.

"I won't tell anyone, I promise. But I'm glad I know it, Regina, because I can finally understand what's happening and I got to know you a little better through it." She turns to look at me again, eyes unreadable. Then she smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes.  
"And why would you like to know me, Miss Swan? I'm not a very interesting person and most people tend to keep their distance for a reason." _You don't even know it, do you?_

"You are. And you're not who people think you are. You're nice and genuine and you care. If you didn't, we wouldn't be sitting here, apologizing. I'm just a waitress and you have absolutely no good reason to keep me here if you don't want to, especially knowing who my mother is." I decide honesty may not be so bad. Fuck it. I opened my big mouth once and I may as well say all that I want. Well, not _all_, but most of it. Regina doesn't even know how amazing she is and someone needs to make her realize it. If Robin couldn't do it, as her partner, I can. I take my glass of wine and take a sip, making it clear I'm finished talking, all the while keeping my eyes on her.

"You don't know me." Her eyes turn dark and she stands up, stands up to leave and I have to do something about it. I can't have her running away every time I want to confront her, so I block her way and grab her hand. Her fingers in mine are gentle, and I can see surprise on her face. She makes a step back, but I follow, knowing she's stuck between me and the chair, which I'm very thankful at the moment. I realize how short she is, not being even much taller than me in her heels. She seems small and fragile and I don't see anger in her eyes. She's confused and scared, not of me but of opening up to someone, I can feel it. I used to be like that too.

"I don't know all of you, Regina, but I want to get to know you better. For some reason, I do. And you may think of me as foolish, but I don't believe everything those people say about you. Please don't shut me out." She stares at me and I feel myself crumbling under the intensity of her gaze. For half a minute, neither of us speaks, but then her eyes turn a darker shade and determination is written all over her face. Suddenly, I can feel her lips crashing onto mine, and I stumble backwards, Regina following. Her hands are on my waist, steadying me, and mine disappear in her hair. There's nothing gentle about it. Her tongue enters my mouth and I welcome it, enjoying the taste of wine I pick up with my own. She catches my bottom lip between hers and I know immediately I am kissing that captivating scar of hers. _I'm kissing Regina Mills! _The whole world could burn and I wouldn't care because the feeling is better than all dreams I had about this moment combined. But as soon as it started, it's over because she steps away from me, lipstick smudged around the corners and guilt written all over her face.

"I need to go." And she picks up her purse, storming out of the restaurant, leaving me with confusion, happiness, and all other emotions a human could ever experience. I fall into the chair, looking at the door for what seems like hours, unsure of what had just happened. But whatever it was, the feeling of her lips against mine is still fresh and the taste of her tongue still lingering in my mouth.


	8. Chapter 8

_Fucking sun._ I open my eyes slowly, squinting as soon as the sunrays cover my eyes. Of course I had to pick a place where the sun in the morning would beat directly at my head, but as soon as I roll to the other side, my face in the shade, my fingers reach up to touch my lips. _It wasn't a dream_. Regina Mills had truly kissed me and, although the taste is already long gone, the feeling of her lips still tingles on mine. I close my eyes and try to picture it - the moment before I realized she was going to kiss me, and then the feeling of her lips on mine. I know it's not possible, but if I think long enough and hard enough, it's almost like I feel a ghost of her breath on my lips. Crazy, really.

As on cue, I hear footsteps on the stairs and I'm grateful for being on the upper floor because, if anything, if I'm ever attacked I'll hear them coming. Quickly, I push myself up in a sitting position, rubbing my eyes furiously, trying to get the sleepiness, but also the picture of my boss, my mother's childhood friend, out of my mind.

"You're up!" I open my eyes and find Mary standing halfway to my bed, with the cutest smile on her face. There's just something so childish and innocent about her, and I love her for it. But I love her even more for also being able to show teeth when she needed them, which is hard to imagine if one doesn't know her very well. "You seem a little flushed." She comments and walks to my bed, having a seat at the edge, while leaning in to kiss my forehead, checking my temperature. _I wish. Better fever than Regina Mills, _I think and feel my skin burning even brighter at the realization that my own mother saw me blushing because of inappropriate thoughts about my boss.

"I'm fine, mom. Just had a long shift last night." I say, but a frown is still firmly engraved in Mary's brows, and I smile to reassure her. "I promise, I feel just fine."

"Good." That seems to settle it and a huge smile is written all over her face again. "David made eggs and bacon, so come down whenever you're ready." She presses a gentle kiss on my temple and I close my eyes, my heart warming instantly from the act of affection.

"I'll be down in a couple minutes." I say, as I watch my mom get up from my bed and disappear down the stairs.

It's time to get back to reality, although it may not be what I want. Before last night I was madly in love with a woman who I thought I had no chances with. But then she kissed me, and I want to feel good about it, but I can't. The kiss was good, amazing even, but she is still taken by an asshole who is cheating on her with her own sister, and after we kissed she acted as if she got burned by my lips. It's hard to think about the kiss as of a good thing, all things considered. The worst thing is, I need to get back into yet another second shift today and face her, act as if nothing happened between us, which I doubt either of us will be able to do. She will avoid me and I will look like a hurt puppy, I know it.

Shaking my head, I remove the covers from me and get up, putting on a pair of socks and slipping into my old slippers. I don't change because I just love how comfortable I am in clothes that basically hang off of me, especially on mornings like these, with my parents.

And I go downstairs, acting as if everything is alright, noticing a plate set out for me, along with a cup of homemade hot chocolate with whipped cream and cinnamon on top – a courtesy of my dad, as always.

* * *

"I am not going to ignore it, mother!" I hear Regina's voice and my eyes shoot up from the ground to find her and an older woman in front of her. Regina's hands are crossed against her chest and her face is slightly red, brows lowered in a frown as she watches the other woman.

"I worked hard for you to ruin this now. I built everything for you, even tried to give you a nice life with a rich, lovely man and you ruined that chance. Now you want to lose this too?" She's yelling and I feel awkward approaching them, but I do it anyway. I need to start my shift and no matter how much I want to talk to Regina about last night, she seems to be occupied with more important things. So I avoid eye contact, eyes fixated at the ground as I try to walk around them, but then I hear Regina calling my name. I turn around instantly, eyes darting between my boss and the older woman. While Regina's face screams for help, the other pair of eyes has a look that could kill. I make a clumsy two steps back to where they stand and smile, resting my eyes finally on Regina and Regina only.

"Yes, Miss Mills?" I try to sound as professional as possible, but it's hard to set my feelings aside. I still feel hurt and confused at how we left things last night and it's hard to stand next to her and act as if everything is alright.

"I want to introduce you to my mother, Cora. Mother, Emma Swan." I offer my hand to the other woman with a small smile, but her face remains emotionless and I can feel her gaze, watching me head to toe as if I was a prey and she was a predator. After a couple seconds, I retrieve my hand, slightly offended and look back at Regina. _What the hell is she getting me into?_

"And why would I care who this petty little girl is?" Her voice is cold and she doesn't even spare me a look anymore. I think I realize now who Regina gets her darker side from, but even at her worst, she's a thousand times better than her mother and I know it after not a full minute of knowing her.

"Because, mother, she is my photographer and I'm paying her by an hour, which means her shift starts now and I don't want to waste time. Time is money, you always told me that." I glance at Regina, my eyebrows perked up in surprise and confusion, but her words could cut through the ice, so I gather myself quickly, nodding and returning my gaze to the older woman.

"Pleasure to meet you, Miss Mills. I've heard a lot about you." I challenge her, just because I can tell how annoyed Regina is with her. Maybe Mary was wrong, maybe Regina did blame her mother for what happened because she doesn't seem very fond of her and she's using me as an excuse to avoid spending any more time arguing with her. Which seems reasonable, of course, because her mother is a real bitch. _Petty little girl my ass. _The plus side to all of this is that I may get some more time with Regina. _But what with my actual shift?_

"All the best, I presume." Her words are screaming sarcasm and I feel incredibly small under her gaze that's measuring me, head to toe. But I don't give in, not when she so obviously wants to make me feel this way. I won't give her the pleasure to see me crumble in fear or whatever it is she wants to awake in people.

"Of course." I offer a smile, turning to Regina. "I should go in and say hi to August, Regina." Her first name slips from my lips and I bite my tongue, cringing for a short second because she is my boss, and there's her mother, but then again, that boss' tongue was invading my lips last night, so I can't find it in me to feel too guilty about it.

"Ask him if he could do a double shift. Tell him I apologize, but the other waiter was unable to come today. I'll be waiting for you in my car." She says those words without looking at me once, so I turn around, leaving the mother and the daughter with their problems, but only for a short while.

I enter the restaurant, finding it almost empty and August's lips widen into a smile as his eyes settle on me. I think about how disappointed he's gonna be when I tell him that I need him to cover my shift, but move to hug him first anyway. I'm met with warm hands wrapping around me and pulling me into a tight hug.

"You're gonna kill me." I whisper in his hands, and he pulls away, his hands still hanging loosely on my waist.

"What?" His smile doesn't fade as I expected, though, and he thinks I'm joking probably.

"I need you to cover my shift. And I don't even know how to explain why, but Regina approved."

"Okay." He shrugs his shoulders and moves away from me. "Is that why I'm gonna kill you?" I tilt my head, unsure why he doesn't even show a bit of annoyance at having to work extra 8 hours.  
"Yeah." I say slowly.

"Emma, I am working because I need money. I'm being payed by an hour each day and this is just extra money. I got no plans for tonight." He smiles and hits my shoulder lightly. "You can buy me a drink one of these days if you feel so bad about it. But no need, really."

"Count me in, then. How does tonight sound? After you close, I can pick you up and we can go to The Rabbit Hole? First two rounds are on me." August snorts, for a reason unknown to me but he's amused.

"Deal. But you don't look like someone who can handle their liquor." And there it is. But little does he know I've had my share of drinks in the little bit of years I actually drank. Getting booze is easy when you're a decent looking blonde, and I've always been the one to carry other people home. Sure, I get drunk, but I never got sick and I was always the last standing on my feet. The secret's in getting a bunch of food instead of drinking on an empty stomach, like most people do.

"You have yet to know me, Booth." I laugh and wink before heading for the exit.

Cora is long gone by the time I am outside the door and I can spot Regina sitting in the black Mercedes, leaning fully into her seat with her head tilted back and eyes closed. I wonder what someone has to do to make her look that spent and annoyed. Still, I walk to her car, opening the door to the passenger seat and peaking my head into the car. "Hey, Regina, are you alright?"

She opens her eyes slowly and straightens. "Would you get in the car already, Miss Swan?" Not knowing what else to do, I listen to her and have a seat in the probably most expensive car I've ever had the chance to get into. I close the door behind me, but my focus is still on Regina. I want to make her feel better, despite her leaving me last night. Somehow, the whole situation made me just want to get closer to her, knowing that she felt the same. I know she's already involved, but maybe it's about time she learns about Robin, not so I could have her, but so that she could have a choice. He doesn't deserve her, not when he doesn't know what kind of treasure he had in his hands, and he threw it all away for a bunch of dirt.

"I think we should talk." I say silently, looking for some kind of emotion on her face. But she doesn't look at me. It's like just the sight of me would burn her and the fact stings me, right in the chest.

"Yes, I suppose we should. But I just lied to my mother and she will come later to check on the progress we made, so I hope you're as good with camera as you are with sassy talk, Miss Swan." She turns the key in her car and the whole car vibrates under the engine. I know she implied about my conversation with her mother and she doesn't seem all too happy with how I handled it, so I stay silent and buckle myself, left alone with thoughts in my head.

Regina doesn't speak for the rest of the drive, although it's a very short one. While I'm looking through the window, I try not to think of her mother, Robin and Zelena, or about her exquisite lips moving against mine and the scar on the upper lip that drew my eyes to it each time she spoke. I try, but I fail miserably, and by the time we're in front of her mansion, I don't know if I'm more worried or turned on.

Regina leaves the car and closes the door harder than I expect, so I jump a bit in my seat when I'm met with a loud thud. I carefully unbuckle my seatbelt and close the door slowly behind me, feeling that the car is too expensive for me to treat it like Regina does. I follow her to the doorway and wait in awkward silence as she unlocks the door.

"Shoes off." She pushes the door open for me and wait for me to come in before following me. I see her take of her shoes and I am stunned by how short she actually is. I am higher than her even after I leave my shoes next to hers and she just stands there, in the hallway, not moving. "I'm sorry about last night. I do owe you an explanation, although I can hardly find one." Her voice is different. Once we're behind closed door and alone, it feels like she becomes a whole new person, the person who hides behind the Evil Queen façade. Her eyes meet mine, and I don't know what to say, although I do want to say a lot of things, just can't pick the right one. I want to tell her about her sister and her boyfriend. I want to tell her about my feelings for her. I want to just talk to her like normal human beings who are not in a fucked up relationship we found ourselves into. "I did it because I wanted to, at the moment. You're beautiful and kind, Emma, and you don't judge me like other people do. But there's a reason why those people don't like me. And you're so young, dear God, you're so much younger than me!" She says the last bit louder, as if she can't believe she let herself get involved with someone like me. Once again, her words sting, but I know it's nothing personal, it's reasonable. I knew since the moment we met she'd be the death of me, I knew what I was feeling wasn't something that would come out as a good thing. But I couldn't fight myself then, and I can't fight myself now.

"Regina, can we sit and talk? Please?" I ask, seconds away from begging her to be the reasonable person for once.

She nods her head and motions for me to have a seat in the living room on our right. "Wine? I know I need some." She offers me a smile, but there's sadness behind it. Her look makes me feel like she's about to end something that hasn't even started, so I nod shortly, before proceeding to the living room and slumping down on the couch.

_I want you. I need you. I don't care about the age difference. I don't care about your mother. I don't care about your fight with my mother. I don't care about Robin, about Zelena, I don't care about the whole world. I've never felt like this before._

My head feels heavy and I try to shut out the voice inside my head. I look around for anything to amuse my eyes. The walls of the living room are a light purple color, filled with amazing paintings that fit perfectly into baroque styled frames. There are a couple of pictures on the shelf, on most of them Regina is alone or on a horse and I notice a small golden statue of a horse, probably won on a competition. She doesn't hit me like a person who rides horses, yet I find out new things about her every day. When I came here, she was my straight boss with a perfect boyfriend. A week ago, she was my boss with a cheating boyfriend and a traitorous sister. Two days ago, she was my bisexual boss who hates my mother for ruining her chance at happiness. Last night, she was my boss who kissed me. Today, she's just Regina, who happens to be my boss, in a tense relationship with her mother, in a relationship with a bad guy. Today she's just Regina who's showing me her real self, who's coming right to me as I think about her with two glasses and a wine bottle, much like pervious night, and who's about to talk to me about what our kiss meant. And it meant the world to me. And I would not let her drop the matter until she knew all the facts.

"Here." She says, settling the bottle and the glasses on the table. She stands in place, looking around to find the safe place to have a seat, so I stand up and take her by her hand, which she accepts hesitantly, and I guide her to have a seat next to me. I feel like I already have the freedom by now, so I open the bottle and pour two glasses of wine. I notice there's not a label on the bottle, and the liquid has tiny parts of grapes that slowly make their way to the bottom of glasses, which means it's homemade. Homemade often means strong and as I offer Regina her glass, our fingers touch for a short moment but she makes sure to avoid my eyes so I just take a sip and let the sweet drink make its way down my throat. It's very sweet and I'd also say very strong, although I am not an expert in wines. But it tastes nice, much better than the wines I drank until now.

"I'm sorry, but nothing can happen between us." I hear her voice and feel my heart drop down to my feet at the words. But my mother always said to never lose hope and I find that piece of me again, determined not to let go of this woman before I absolutely need to. _There's always hope. _

"Can I say something?" I ask, and Regina nods her head, eyes glued to her wine glass. "Regina, for Christ's sake, please look at me. I don't feel like we've done something wrong and you're acting like it's the end of the fucking world." My words are harsh and she finally looks at me, revealing hurt that's hiding beneath the surface.

"I am with Robin, Emma, and you're barely of the age to drink. And I kissed you in a moment of weakness, used you to feel better about myself. What about all that feels right to you?" There's desperation in her voice and when she puts it like that, it does sound wrong. But why did it feel so right then?

"I need to tell you something, and you need to listen to me." She motions for me to continue, although she looks like she's already determined to not take anything I say into consideration. "Since I walked in that restaurant, I've been smitten by you, I won't deny it. And if you want to fire me after today, I'll understand, but I care about you, and against better reason and with a chance of ruining my relationship with you, I'm going to come clean." She takes another sip of her wine and I follow, needing some encouragement to keep going. So I take two sips, putting the glass on the table and turning completely towards her. "August saw Zelena and Robin get together in the car, the day he said he needed to leave for work." I study her face and there's slight surprise in it, but not disappointment or hurt. "I think they're together, sneaking behind your back." I add, to make things clearer, but nothing shows, still.

"I've suspected for a while now." She speaks carefully, running her free hand through her hair and letting out a breath. "It's what I've been fighting about with my mother today, when you came."

"And you still feel guilty about kissing me?"

"Yes, Miss Swan, because I am not the one to cheat. If I do it, I'm no better than him." _Miss Swan shit again._ But I understand and somehow her words make me want her even more. She's a decent person, wants to be despite what people think of her. She may not be perfect, but she's far from the Evil Queen.

"Well will you break up with him?" I know I may sound like I want it to happen so that I could be with her, and one part of me does of course, but the other just wants her to be with someone who will not treat her this way.

"I will. But that doesn't change anything when it comes to our relationship." Another sip. And I pick up my glass and follow.

"You kissed me like you wanted me, not like you wanted to make yourself feel better." One of her eyebrows raises and the corner of her lip follows, almost forming a smile at the memory. But then her face turns serious again.

"And it may have been both. But that still doesn't change the fact we're a bad idea. You're young, way too young for me. You don't need my burden, or my family's. And I am truly sorry I made you think there was a chance for us being anything more than a boss and an employee, but there isn't. Attraction may be mutual, but I won't act on it anymore, you have my promise." She says it like it's what I want to hear. _I won't act on it anymore, you have my promise. _Those words ring in my ears and I try to think of what to answer to that. I want it to happen. I want her to promise to act on it again. I may be young but I am also desperate for love. And I feel like I could fall for her, so easily, if it hasn't happened already.

"Is your family and my age the only reason you don't want to act on it?" We take a sip at the same time and the glasses are already more than half empty. At this rate I'll be drunk before I get together with August, but I don't care.

"No." I look at her again, confused. This woman is a mystery to me, always will be.

"How do you mean no?" I am annoyed and can feel my tongue slipping a bit already, so I drink once more, emptying the glass and refilling as I wait for her answer. I feel her hand on mine and turn my head to look at her, but there's so many emotions bottling inside of me I don't even know which one to act on. Kiss her? Run outside? Give the one week notice? "Yes?" It's all I mutter.

"Maybe you want to slow down a little on the wine. It's strong." I want to shake off her hand because I am angry at her, angry for doing all of this. Angry for kissing me fiercely, then leaving me without explanation, telling me we stand no chance. Angry at myself for being so stupid. Angry at life because each step I made has brought me right to this moment, right to her and to this stupid feeling inside of me. But I let it all happen. I let it happen, I chased after her, I kept giving her compliments and I made her feel like she could use me and it's my fault. It's completely my fault. Being rejected from my birth parents was probably my fault as well. Maybe I was whiny, maybe I was ugly as a baby, maybe I was just stupid and they gave me up, knowing what a failure I would turn out to be. But I am _not_ the one to blame others for my mistakes. So, as gently as I can, I move my hand until Regina's touch fades to just a memory and straighten with the glass in my hand.

"I've noticed. That's exactly why I'm drinking it." I reply, face stone cold.

"I hurt you already, didn't I?" She moves to touch my hand again but I look away, bringing the glass to my lips and drinking again and with the corner of my eye I see her hand falling back to the couch. "That's just one more reason, out of a thousand, why we shouldn't be together. You could only get hurt with me."

"No, I'm just not good enough for people not to hurt, Regina." I finally face her and my eyes are burning with tears. "I was not good enough for my real parents. I was not good enough for Neal. And now I'm not good enough for you. And that's alright, I understand." I get up and Regina follows my movements, probably thinking I'm about to leave. But as much as I want to get out of the house and away from her, I know she lied to her mother and I want to prove I'm better than people think of me. "I'm done with this. May I get a camera and just be done with this?"

"That's not true, Emma…" I raise a hand to stop her and look somewhere at the ceiling, trying to stop the tears from spilling. Fuck. Once I've managed to get my tears somewhat under control, I look at her again and there's pity in her eyes. Pity.

"Drop it. From today on you're my boss and I'm your employee, isn't that right? Now give me the camera and tell me what to do."

* * *

**I know you hate me and the chapter ends on a bad note, but things gotta get bumpy before they go good xD I just feel like this would have been the natural thing to happen because truly, Regina is involved and she's older than Emma and someone like her wouldn't give in so easily, especially given her past experience with her mother and her relationship with a female. Just felt the need to explain Regina as well, since this is all from Emma's PoV.**

**Also, please review and let me know how you feel and what you wish happened next! I may as well take some of the comments and use them for the story, as from now on I have no idea what happens, but leave characters write their own story!  
Also let me know if you want me to continue where I stopped and go through Emma's night with August, or you'd rather skip to the next day! **


	9. Chapter 9

The alarm rings loudly next to my ear and I jump in a sitting position, but realize that's a huge mistake right away. My head hurts like bitch and my mouth is drier than the desert itself. I rub my eyes to clear my view and turn off the alarm, the view still a bit fuzzy._ What the hell happened last night?_ I look around and am relieved that I find myself in my room, in my bed. I'm dressed in an oversized shirt and panties and I wonder how is it that I got so drunk last night that I can't remember anything, but managed to change before going to bed.

Then I realize I'm first shift today. _Shit, shit, shit! _I get up quickly, noticing I only have half an hour before my shift starts. As soon as I'm on my feet I stumble, hangover from the night before. I pray I didn't do anything stupid, but considering everything that happened in the past few days, I seriously doubt it. There's a number of crazy things I could have done.

And the memory hits me.

_August is ordering two more shots and we lower the shot glasses into our beer, "submarine" drink he says. It tastes good and strong and we compete who's going to drown the beer faster. Music is loud and I'm swaying my body to the rhythm. A hand wraps around my shoulders and Ruby appears out of nowhere. I order her a drink and glance at the screen of my phone that lit up, seeing an unknown number. I answer inside the pub, despite the loud music, and yell into the phone ""Who's this?"_

"_Emma? Where are you?" I recognize the voice, but I can barely hear the words._

"_I'm at The Rabbit Hole, drinking! Why are you calling?" I move to the exit, tripping over my own feet and laughing as it happens. The music fades as I close the door behind me and the cold air wraps my body._

"_I just wanted to apologize. But you're busy, so I'll leave you to it."_

"_Whatever." I end the call, immediately shutting it down and pushing into my pocket so Regina wouldn't disturb me anymore. After the photoshoot, I needed to get as far away as I could from her and I don't need her to ruin my night out with friends. Not when I'm so drunk just to get her out of my head._

_I move back inside and order three more shots for us, clicking the glass against Ruby and August's and drowning the drink in one big sip, frowning at the burning feeling in my throat. "Let's play darts!" I yell, ordering three more shots and three more bears and moving to take the darts._

"I hung up on Regina Mills?" I say out loud and hope that's the stupidest thing I've done last night.

I run down the stairs, finding a goodbye note from my parents they left probably after I left for work yesterday and smile, despite the sore throat and the ache in my heart. I take two pain pills and drink three glasses of water and I'm still thirsty after them, but I need to get ready.

Shower and clothes take barely ten minutes because I am practically running all over the apartment and I'm in for my shift three minutes early.

There's no sign of Regina's car, but the door is open. I feel like my heart is about to explode once I walk through them, but get the courage to do so after all. It's my job and if I remember correctly, Regina and I decided to be on professional terms from now on, so there's nothing to be worried about except for the awkward looks and silence, but that much I can survive. I think.

"Did you miss me?" A pair of blue eyes greets me as I move to the bar and I feel anger rising in me. Whatever happened between me and Regina, my feelings for Zelena remain the same. She moves to hug me and I stand stiff in her arms, unable to even act like I am happy to see her. "Well, well, why so dark?" The older woman moves away, eyeing me head to toe. How did Robin pick someone like her over Regina? She has nothing. She's working as a waitress for her own sister and her parents are rich, yet disappointed so much in her they let her do this, despite the fortune they hold.

"I'm hungover so I'd appreciate it if you didn't make any noises. Or sounds at all, for that matter." I move past her and can feel her eyes burning into my back as I move behind the bar. It's my turn to make coffees all day and I am grateful I won't have to spend the day pretending I'm overly happy with the customers. I'll be able to just drown in my sorrows and not speak unless I absolutely need to.

As I turn on the coffee grinder and prepare the coffee for myself, I can't help but wonder why Zelena is even in her shift. After everything I told Regina about her and Robin, she should be fired. But she needed to be on the schedule to come in and work this shift, so I guess my words didn't come through to her. Or she's letting this pass because she's her sister. But whatever the reason, I feel like I made a mistake confessing to Regina about what August saw. I shouldn't have involved him or myself because I tried to mess with someone's sister and boyfriend. I should learn not to meddle. It's none of my business. She doesn't even want me. She may stay with Robin and on good terms with Zelena and they may laugh about all this behind my back. I just fucked myself up. Everything else seems to be in perfect order.

"Could you make me one?" Zelena asks behind me and she's putting on her apron as she speaks.

"Sure." I mutter, setting two coffees to prepare and warming up the milk. Memory of Regina teaching me how to do this settles on my hands as a ghost, and I do everything like she showed me, the product being the perfect, creamy foam. I finish the two coffees, setting Zelena's on the counter and putting three spoons of sugar in mine, along with a pinch of cinnamon on top. It smells amazing and I drown in the warm liquid, much different from the ones I had last night. It shakes me up a bit, not the caffeine, but the perfect combination of coffee, milk and cinnamon. It's been a while since I enjoyed coffee like this, but everything tastes good after the night of shameless drinking I assume.

"Thank you!" Her voice is high pitched as she pronounces those words and I roll my eyes, moving to do anything until people come in just so I wouldn't speak to her. So I crouch, opening the low fridge and organizing milks by kinds when I hear the door opening.

"Good morning, beautiful." Robin. It's Robin's voice. I straighten up immediately, wanting to make myself seen. I want him to know I heard it and make him even a little embarrassed, if the man is even capable of feeling embarrassment. He stops dead in his tracks and his face gains a bright pink color. "Good morning to both of you beauties." He tries to get out of the uncomfortable situation but it's too late and his words only make me flinch.

"You're both back. Good to know that." I say with the fakest smile I can manage. I know I shouldn't do this. I know I shouldn't dare them because it's what got me in this weird situation in the first place, but I can't help it. I hate what they're doing to Regina and if I wasn't sure they were guilty before, I am now.

"Yeah, I had a great visit to my parents!" Zelena exclaims and I want to shut the fuck up, but I can't because the words slip my lips before I manage to stop them.

"Really? I saw Regina talking to your mother yesterday just in front of the 'Regal'." That's all I say and I bite my tongue, trying to prevent myself of speaking any further.

"Y-Yes. My mother is in town, but father is alone and I wanted to pay him a visit." Her lies are so obvious it's painful to hear them, but I nod, determined not to push them any further.

"May I get a cup of coffee, Emma?" Robin asks, but it's not really a question I can give a negative answer to so I nod, moving to make yet another coffee.

Soon the restaurant is filled with people, but Regina is nowhere to be seen. Robin and Zelena flirt shamelessly over his table and although I can't hear what they're talking about, she flicks her hair every once in a while and they both chuckle every 10 seconds like teenagers sneaking around.

Almost as if the whole world decided to work against me today, Cora walks through the door with Regina and a brown envelope in her hands. Her eyes land on me and they walk towards the bar area. I wish the ground would swallow me and leave me there, but sadly it's solid and leaves me standing there, ashamed and confused. I realize that the anger I felt for Regina yesterday hasn't faded away completely, but now I feel more like a hurt puppy than the one who bites and barks.

"Miss Swan, we're here to see you, actually." Cora speaks and I look between her and Regina, but as soon as my eyes meet with my boss' she averts her gaze elsewhere and my focus switches to the envelope that's set on the counter. Am I getting fired? Did Regina tell Cora everything and that there is my salary before they ask me to leave after my shift? What the fuck is going on? "How are you today?" Her tone reveals nothing but stiff courtesy that she'd probably been thought since she was little.

"Good." I answer, and force myself to speak more. "And what do I owe this pleasure to?" I ask with an awkward smile because if I didn't attempt that, I'd probably burst into tears. My head still hurts, although less than early in the morning and my stomach is empty and I'm edgy when I'm hungry. So I put all the effort in controlling my emotions right now, before I do or say something stupid.

"You're quite talented with the camera, I must admit. Not what I expected when I first saw you." Cora opens the envelope and a bunch of pictures I took yesterday spill from it, imprinted on paper. They look good, they look really good and I'm happy with how they turned out. I've always had a touch for pictures and enjoyed taking low quality ones from my phone since I could never afford a camera and I was always too ashamed to ask for it considering all I've been given by my parents. Somehow I felt like I owed them much for taking me in and I didn't want to ask for anything I didn't desperately need.

"Thank you." I mutter, letting my hand spread the photos over the cold surface. When Regina brought out a bunch of wine bottles, labeled ones, I didn't know what was happening. But apparently they're trying to get into selling their family wine and I had to do a bunch of photos of the wine bottle in different settings. Some were outside, some were inside and I set up the table for a good half an hour before I was satisfied with how decorated everything is. For the two hours I spent with Regina in her house, we barely exchanged a dozen words, but I finished the bottle we opened, that probably being one more reason my memory fades quite fast after I got to The Rabbit Hole.

"I was wondering if you'd accompany Regina to our vineyard and do some of the photos there as well. I'm thinking it may sell even better if people see where it actually comes from." I stare at her and look at Regina who now meets me halfway, lips pursed as if to let me know it wasn't her choice. Of course it wasn't her choice, she wouldn't want to spend any more time with me alone than she absolutely needs to. "You would be there for four days, sleep and eat out our house. Sadly, I have business elsewhere, but my husband, Henry, would be there to make sure you have a nice stay." I don't know what's gotten into her and why she's suddenly so nice to me, but I don't want to take the offer. Four days away from here sound good, but four days with Regina not as much, not when we're standing on a slippery ground.

"I appreciate the offer, but I need to work here. I am saving up to pay my college and I really need as many shifts as I can get." I say, tilting my head to the side to fake sadness

"No need to worry about that, dear. The session you had yesterday will be 200, and you'll get that much for each day you spend at the country. Your talent is rare, Miss Swan, and I'd appreciate it if you helped us start our business. You may even get a call from someone else, since we have many wealthy friends." She's a woman who knows how to do business. I close my eyes for a moment, because I need to think about it. But it's a good pay, it honestly is, and for spending time in the countryside, in nature, with no expenses for food or bed I'd earn more money than I would doing shifts here. I want to say no, but I already trapped myself by saying the only reason I want to stay is money, so I hesitantly nod my head, meeting Cora's gaze.

"Alright, then." For a short second I steal a glance at Regina, I notice surprise. She takes in a sharp breath and looks at her mother.

"I'll need to find someone to cover her shifts." She says and Cora pats her shoulder, smiling.

"I'm sure Zelena would be more than happy to jump in. She still has many hours to pay off." I don't know what that means, but Regina is defeated and she doesn't add anything more. "Well then, we'll leave you to it. Pack your things tonight, you're leaving tomorrow morning." With that, she leaves and sneaks her hand under Regina's. They move and sit next to Robin in his booth, and Regina leaves a safe amount of space between her and her partner. I have no idea what's going on, but Zelena walks to them with a smile and after a minute comes back with an annoyed expression, leaning over the counter.

"Lucky bitch." She says, but a smile tugs at her lips as soon as I open my mouth to answer and she waves me off with a hand. "Enjoy your time in heaven while I rot in here, Swan."

* * *

"_Can I call you?"_ I read as I begin to pack my things. It's an unknown number and I check to compare it with the number Regina called me from last night. It's her. So I save her number under the full name, just because I need to have it for the next few days.

"_Yes."_ I reply and the phone rings within seconds.

My heart beats fast, but not in a good way. Before there was a warm sensation around it, but now it's hot, almost as if someone is holding my heart and squeezing it, followed with the uncomfortable ache in my stomach. I take in a deep breath before sliding my index finger over the screen and bringing the phone up to my ear. "Yes, Miss Mills?" She lets out a breath on the other side and I can almost hear her shaking her head.

"I just wanted to check if you're alright with this, Emma. You don't need to do it because my mother asked you to." My jaw tightens because, does she really think I am that weak that I can't stand being by her side for a couple of days?

"It's good money and a new experience. I don't see why not." My voice is even, despite the trembling hand that holds the phone.

"Are you sure? With everything that's going on, I'd understand if you didn't want to go." She's pushing. She's pushing not because she thinks I can't stand it, but because she doesn't want me there. But I won't give her the pleasure of knowing just how much she hurt me.

"Yes. I think you made it quite clear for me how we stand. You're my boss and I'm your employee. This is just one more job and since your mother asked me so kindly to jump in, that's exactly what I'm going to do. I don't see how we could have any troubles now that the boundaries are set." Silence. She doesn't speak for a while and I wonder if I managed to leave the Evil Queen out of words.

"I'll pick you up at seven."

"Alright." This time, she hangs up.

The silence that fills the room is unbearable, so I turn on the music from my phone and volume it up, throwing the phone on my bed.

I'm out of luck as the lyrics of "Let her go" plays along from the radio, words ringing in my head.

_Only know you've been high when you're feeling low_

_Only hate the road when you're missing home_

_Only know you love her when you let her go_

"Fuuuuuck!" I shout into the empty apartment and take my phone, switching to my own music. I play the music on shuffle and enjoy the less depressed music, although I find out quite fast that I can find myself in almost every song that plays along.

I give up on choosing songs and just let the music fill the air, going through my closet in order to find something for the trip. But most of my clothes look pretty much the same. I throw in two pairs of tight jeans, a couple of simple, plain shirts and a dress that falls down to knees. It's cute and not revealing. Tight till the waist and from there to the bottom it falls wider, and it's the perfect yellow, not the neon one that seems to be very in these days. Along with an extra pair of converse sneakers, I add underwear and socks. And to top of it all, I throw the red leather jacket I got for my 21st birthday from my parents.

"_Working?" _I send to Ruby as soon as I'm done packing, and I get an instant reply.

"_I'm off today. Wanna meet up?" _I smile upon seeing the reply.

"_Darts at the Rabbit Hole?"_

"_Sure. I'll be there in 10." _

I pull my hair quickly into a high, messy bun and shove my phone into the pocket. I check the case of the phone, finding 20 dollars inside. That should do, so I waste no more time before heading to meet Ruby. I lowkey want to find out what happened last night and how I acted, but I also want to meet up with her because I'll be away for four days and want to see her before I leave. I wish I could tell her what's going on, but Storybrooke is a small town and no matter how much I trust Ruby, she has a habit of slipping secrets, so I don't want to reveal anything about Regina.

* * *

I notice my friend waiting for me with two drinks and smile when I see cream and cinnamon on top of the mug. The girl knows me too well.

"Hey, fun girl!" She greets me and kisses my cheek, shoving three darts into my hand. "I got it all set up. Cricket, if I remember well from last night. And, Swan, don't take this the wrong way, but you suck at darts when you're drunk." She laughs and I shake my head with a smile because I didn't expect anything else.  
"But I nail ass when I'm sober." I reply, positioning myself immediately behind the line and throwing the first dart. I am not that good, but luck is on my side as I manage the triple twenty. I hear Ruby squeak behind me and I shoot for twenty again with the remaining two darts, but one hits eighteen and the other goes in between the two numbers. Still, once I find my friend's face, she looks absolutely horrified and I am sure that last night I barely managed to hit the board at all.

"You're crazy, you know that?" She laughs and moves to throw her darts, aiming for the numbers on the lower half of the board, hitting seventeen and fifteen once, the third dart hitting black spot that brings no points. I smile to myself and take a sip of my hot chocolate, moaning at the taste of little chocolate and a whole lot of foam with cinnamon.

"Mm, Rubes, I wanted to ask if I did anything too crazy last night." I say, switching places with her and throwing the first dart as I wait for her answer. It hits eighteen triple and I can't believe my luck.

"You're an asshole." She comments because she is really not a good loser. "But other than drinking way more than I thought you were capable of, you were just dancing like crazy and missing the machine for darts. August won in the end, can you believe that?" I find it hard to believe that August managed to beat me at darts, but he may be as good as I am bad while drunk. Or we were all too drunk and he was just the best of the worst. I hit seventeen once. "And you did mention Regina calling. You hung up on her or something?" My third dart misses everything and hits the wall at the mention of Regina's name. I turn around to face Ruby and move away from the line, trying to act as if I wasn't affected by it so much.

"Anything else?" I try to remain as cool as possible, but Ruby doesn't seem to notice a big change in me. She's more occupied with trying to beat me.

"Nope." She hits thirteen and I sip my drink, not knowing whether I should be amused by how annoyed she is when she misses, or worried about what I may have said. "You mentioned your ex, Neal. And said you kissed a girl and it was 'freakin' awesome' but that women are too complicated to date so you'll just stick to men?" She hits a double nineteen and then a triple nineteen and her face gains a smug expression. "There you go!"

"Watch me." I say, standing behind the line and lining up three darts of absolute failure. I missed everything, but there's still hope for me to win. My mind is somewhere else, desperately trying to remember what happened but it fails miserably, much like the round I just shot.

"Yeah, good shit Swan. Keep it like that and I'll beat you before the round is up." She laughs and moves to miss two darts and get one on seventeen again. "Anyway, I don't remember much after that either, you kept ordering drinks and we were all pretty drunk by the time this place closed." Ruby shrugs her shoulders and takes the first sip of her coffee.

"Good. I'm not sure I'd even like to know all I did." I smile, hitting the center and then busting two darts into twenty, once again grinning after Ruby makes desperate sounds behind me.

I end up winning, but not by much. We end up at Granny's, eating on the house, and then Ruby follows me back to my apartment, leaving me all alone the night before the morning I dread.

* * *

**Hey guys! I just wanted to let you know that the update is here so quickly because I am going to be away for a week and the chances are huge I won't post anything in that time. If I do manage to type anything in the meantime, I'll make sure to post before I need to leave, but I seriously doubt it.**

**Also, please leave reviews! They are basically the only thing making me write this! Let me know what you hope for the little trip to bring! :3**


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